FUSE: A discussion that is sorely needed.

[amazingafroman]

so recently there has been an out cry of fans of insomniac games that EA is the reason overstrike lost its personality and became the generic looking co-op game FUSE.
This is not true.
for those of you who dont know this is what fuse used to be.

http://youtu.be/y_N5EqpMW_A

this is what it is now.

http://youtu.be/ii8LRlWcyCI

so i can see why people are pissed, i am too. i though the original game looked awesome and now its so generic (even though we have seen hardly any of the other environments. the thing that's pissing me off more is that people seam to think that this is ea's fault, now im going to tell you something that might shock you but this was insomniac decision. They chose to change the style, They chose to make it more serous and they chose to remove the personality (from what i have seen again i could be mistaken).

you see EA has has this programme, a programme that i don't think other publishers have, its called the ea partners programme. this is ea co publishing arm, this mean that when a developer signs up to be apart of this programme they own there ip, they have have creative control and a large marketing effort behind there game. so in 2010 Ted price announced that they would be joining this programme to create a new ip for the ps3 and 360 this was overstrike.

so fast forward 1 year after they announce overstrike we hear nothing, this is because insomniac is having trouble with making overstrike feel complete, they have game play and characters but no world, no story to make these things click together like a puzzle. so they ditched the cartoony style for some thing more mature and now we have fuse. now ea cant of steeped in and changed it they don't HAVE THAT ABILITY, that's the beauty of the partners programme the devs have the control. it was insomniac decision to change the game so its them you should be directing your internet rage at not ea (at least not for this).

now discuss.

i would also like to point out that valve is apart of this programme as well so digest that for a bit.

EDIT: ok here is a link to the wikipedia page for the ea partners programe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Arts#EA_Partners_Program

the list of developers on it have all made the games they wanted to make and all ea has done is help market and publish it that is all.
i also have learned that sony also has a similar co publishing arm called pub fund, so ea are not the only company to have this.

 

[Nouw]

Damn, that first trailer looked pretty damn cool. A nice, light, unique art-style. Now it's your typical >.>.

 

[Vault101]

no no no no

this is not a discussion that is needed..honestly we've heard this a millions times

-EA is evil
-the game looked good before but now its generic
-AAA games are generic and suck

there you go

 

[Mental Cosmas]

Mostly agreed, HOWEVER I will admit to preferring the new barrier design. It's kinda pretty.

I'll still defend it slightly by saying while Ratchet and Clank is still kicking, it isn't looking good for their more serious Resistance series, and I personally thought they did a good job with it (although I know quite a few people who would disagree), so i'm not against them making a serious, darker game.

But i'm diverting from the point. Yes, I do think the change is a shame, and i'm not entirely sure I buy their reason. Alright, they haven't been one for making epic narratives. But they are pretty good at making plots that keep the gameplay going smoothly, with the odd twist here and there, and a good joke or two thrown in. Actually, from the footage I thought the game would be treading a nice "middle ground" between Resistance and Ratchet and Clank.

Although to be honest I never considered EA had anything to do with it until you pointed out they COULDN'T have anything to do with it. Kinda funny really.

 

[SajuukKhar]

Since the game isn't out yet, and we haven't had a chance to see how it plays, the way it plays being the most important thing of all in any game, I don't think there is any reason to get angry over the style change.

The game could play the exact same way with both visual styles, so the change is.... unimportant? at best as of right now.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Valve is a part of this in what way?

Anyway looks like standard accountant fare, buy great idea -> can we blend it with Gears -> no, but the resulting mess will still go on disc for $60.
Insomniac whoever became in charge of this project feed him to the wolves(literally), then do it again.

 

[GoaThief]

Don't know, the art style was cartoonish in the first trailer but it was all pre-rendered bollocks... probably explaining why they opted for a less realistic feel there (it's cheaper).

At least the second has actual gameplay, even if the ambience is a bit darker. Call me a heathen but the guy and music annoyed me in the first one so perhaps winding it in a bit was the right choice. Who knows what happened behind the scenes? Don't think I'll be buying it anyway, think I'm suffering from 4-way COOP fatigue. A Left 4 Dead 3 would be most welcome however, asymmetric 4v4 multiplayer is fucking great if time consuming at points. Some more adventurous titles would go down nicely.

 

[Mental Cosmas]

Since the game isn't out yet, and we haven't had a chance to see how it plays, the way it plays being the most important thing of all in any game, I don't think there is any reason to get angry over the style change.

The game could play the exact same way with both visual styles, so the change is.... unimportant? at best as of right now.

I think I understand where you're coming from, even if overall I disagree. It's true, gameplay may not have changed, but a change in art style does tend to represent a change in story, plot, and atmosphere at the very least (and that sounds like it is certainly the case). While it's true that games don't tend to sell themselves on art style (closest I can think of is El Shaddai), there is a degree of importance to it. I imagine if Team Fortress 2 had kept the original art style they were going for, even if it had the exact same gameplay, it would not have as large a following (although to be honest i think the change in art style DID cause a change in the gameplay for this case. While it's POSSIBLE to change the art style without changing story or gameplay, it is UNLIKELY to not do so).

So I think it's acceptable to be angry even over something like the art style, even if it's more for what it most likely represents.

Don't know, the art style was cartoonish in the first trailer but it was all pre-rendered bollocks... probably explaining why they opted for a less realistic feel there (it's cheaper).

At least the second has actual gameplay, even if the ambience is a bit darker. Call me a heathen but the guy and music annoyed me in the first one so perhaps winding it in a bit was the right choice. Who knows what happened behind the scenes? Don't think I'll be buying it anyway, think I'm suffering from 4-way COOP fatigue. A Left 4 Dead 3 would be most welcome however, asymmetric 4v4 multiplayer is fucking great if time consuming at points. Some more adventurous titles would go down nicely.

Agreed on the "actual gameplay" part. I do like myself some pre-rendered cutscenes I must admit, but PLEASE show off some gameplay too. That's the kind of thing one needs feedback on. As for the rest, well... Point of View type stuff I guess. For example, I don't have ENOUGH 4-way COOP games at the moment. But you're right, in the end the change of art style and story might turn out to be for the better.

 

[kyoodle]

Hmm people need to learn that generic does not mean 'gritty military setting', the first video's art style was a lot like the Incredibles or TF2 which are in turn based on cartoon styles from the 50's and 60's. Fair enough it's not been done to death like the grim and gritty look has but let's not pretend that the first one was all that original.

 

[amazingafroman]

no no no no

this is not a discussion that is needed..honestly we've heard this a millions times

-EA is evil
-the game looked good before but now its generic
-AAA games are generic and suck

there you go

I think you missed my point just alittle, im just annoyed that people have this idea that ea told them to make these changes when in truth they did not. Insominac made this choice, they are who you should be directing your anger at.

 

[Rellik San]

I would have said the first trailer made it a day on purchase for me.

The second one... eh I can wait a few months.




Buuuuut I'm an artist so I often (and mistakenly at times) will make snap judgements like that based on art direction.

 

[Xenowolf]

Hmm people need to learn that generic does not mean 'gritty military setting', the first video's art style was a lot like the Incredibles or TF2 which are in turn based on cartoon styles from the 50's and 60's. Fair enough it's not been done to death like the grim and gritty look has but let's not pretend that the first one was all that original.

It wasn't original, but what it was also not mind-numbingly bland looking to the point that it just turns you off completely. I know it might sound stupid, bt I probably won't be buying Fuse (was looking forward to Overstrike) even I don't know much about the gameplay. I normally put gameplay first, but fuck it, the over-saturation of the market with these "gritty" shooters is what is making me lose interest in modern gaming.

 

[Shadowstar38]

Well EA are not exactly the brightest bunch. So you'll have to forgive everyone for the scape goating. When something in the room breaks and the special needs child(EA) is nearby, of course we're going to point the finger.

As for your point of not having a story to tie the game together, I dont see the problem. You can have the same story they're trying to go for now without making the game boring to look at.

Anyway, maybe the game will still play great. Maybe it will suck. No one knows. But making it look like a buy the numbers shooter doesnt get people's hopes up. Outrage is forseeable.

 

[Lt._nefarious]

OMG Overstirke looks awesome! Seriously 100%

*3 minutes later*

Oh look a remake of Syndicate... It's only been a year but what the hey I can dig it, it looks a bit shit but hey I'm sure it'll be fu- Wait, this used to be Overstrike?! But Overstrke looked amazing and funny and this looks like a shit version Syndicate! I bet it's those crafty bastards at EA

*2 minutes later*

Huh, well I apologise Ea it seems it was someone else... Insomniac Games!?! But why would you butcher your own product that was destined to be a hit from the word go!?

I guess I could ask: "Insomniac, Overstrike, How'd it get burned!?"

 

[Gennadios]

This is the first I've heard of Overstrike or Fuse.

To my ignorant eyes, Overstrike looked like a Team Fortress 2 knockoff and Fuse just looks generic.

That being said, nither style looks that much worse than the other, but gritty realism usually ends with a muddier looking game where it's harder to pick out the details.

As long as it's released on Steam, I'll probably pick it up though, my friends and I are suckers for Co-op.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Hmm people need to learn that generic does not mean 'gritty military setting', the first video's art style was a lot like the Incredibles or TF2 which are in turn based on cartoon styles from the 50's and 60's. Fair enough it's not been done to death like the grim and gritty look has but let's not pretend that the first one was all that original.

But that is the split, shit that is common is generic which at the moment are gritty military settings.
If people started making 20+ games per year with the Psychonauts setting then that would become generic also.

I think you missed my point just alittle, im just annoyed that people have this idea that ea told them to make these changes when in truth they did not. Insominac made this choice, they are who you should be directing your anger at.

I don't think you fully understand the publisher/dev arrangement, accountants doen't just give you 100 mil to piss about, they want assured returns and to make that happen they have their own guidelines/demands.
And no Insomniac can not ever disclose what those were, at best they can sell whatever comes as "this was our idea", obviously we can't know who screwed the pooch here but someone obviously went ape shit on his ass.

 

[Thanatos5150]

Huh.
It looks to me that the high-powered superspy style of Overstrike with a semi-snarky humour was ditched in order to make the same game with the same characters - except they're the more marketable "grizzled bad-asses"

I think I'd prefer the humour. And the weird gun that makes people swell up with bubbles. And the invisibility cloak, and the melee combat element.
Looks like they only kept the gadgets I didn't care about, anyway.

 

[omicron1]

Well, the Overstrike trailer looked Incredibles. From force-field shields to invisibility to wierd-metal-bubble-launchers to robots to the general art style and color scheme. Come to think of it, maybe they were afraid Pixar would sue?

The new one? Just like you said - they performed the inverse of the Borderlands reinvention, sucked out all the personality and graphical charm and added dubstep.

And we all know how well Borderlands turned out.

Seriously, EA, are you blind? Willfully stupid?

 

[Sexy Devil]

Let's just all calm down, take a step back, and remember what happened when we prematurely judged Resistance for looking like a by the numbers shooter.