Enslaved Character Pooh Poohs 3D Tech

[Greg Tito]

Enslaved Character Pooh Poohs 3D Tech

The designers at Ninja Theory poked fun at the fad of 3D televisions with some in-game humor in Enslaved.

150 years in the future, when New York City is an overgrown jungle ruled by despotic robots and humans are struggling to survive, 3D imaging is pretty useless technology. At least that what the characters in Ninja Theory's Enslaved think. Monkey, acted and voiced by LOTR's Andy Serkis, happens upon a ruined cardboard box proclaiming that 3D TVs are "One Step Forward." Monkey asks, "What is this stuff?" and his gadgeteer companion Trip replies, "Old jettisoned, irrelevant technology."

Zang a doo!

Even though Ninja Theory is lobbing the obvious zinger at the current fad of every piece of entertainment being released in 3D from classics like the original Star Wars films [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/103856-Lucas-Re-Releasing-Star-Wars-Movies-in-3D] to teenie-bop dance flick Step Up 3D, the company isn't abandoning all of its games to the 2D junkpile.

Studio head Tameem Antoniades would just rather focus on story and gameplay than graphical trickery. "I haven't tried it out so I don't really know how well it works, I need to get my hands on it first and just see how it works," he said.

"You can choose to lead or you can choose to follow and sometimes you want to lead and sometimes you want to follow. Our focus is on narrative and story and making you feel like you're part of a big cinematic adventure."

And, to be honest, if you are fighting against robots and leaping over minefields in New York City like you do in Enslaved, then watching Seinfeld reruns in three dimensions isn't high on your list of priorities.

If you're interest in how the rest of the game plays, check out Susan Arendt's review of Enslaved. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/8188-Review-Enslaved-Odyssey-to-the-West]

Source: CVG [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=268596?]

Permalink

 

[ThaBenMan]

Nice. I'll admit, the 3D of Avatar was pretty impressive. But everything else has failed to reach that level, so for the time being, 3D is just another technical fad.

 

[Delock]

Ok, that and the review were almost enough to finalize the deal for me.

 

[starwarsgeek]

Pretty funny....but how is this news?

 

[Owlslayer]

Since English isn't my primary language i didn't get the headline of this.
At first i thought that there was some unlockable player skin including Winnie the Pooh or something.
Looks like i was wrong...
But this is funny nevertheless (even though I would have preferred the Pooh skin mod).

 

[Semudara]

Pretty funny....but how is this news?

This isn't a news section, this is just a random forum thread.

 

[starwarsgeek]

This isn't a news section, this is just a random forum thread.

It says "the news room" and is displayed in the "Latest News" section of the home page...you must have just seen the comment section bumped on the front page, I guess

 

[BobisOnlyBob]

Pretty funny....but how is this news?

It's an in-game dig at a prevalent, current-news technology by a prominent company, that may well end up using such tech themselves. It's humorous and worth pointing out to people who haven't/won't have a chance to play the game, and cross-promotes the review, which is also interesting.

 

[Nurb]

It's a fad that should have stayed dead.

Not to mention the more expensive TV's that require wearing accessories to watch. Movies starting to make scenes that fully utilize the 3D effect, which is a stupid handicap because they'd have to make scenes with extreme depth and having things sweep out towards the camera all the time so that people can go "OOOOHH THREE-DEEEEE".

Movies are about stories, not gimmicks. They are not ment to be theme-park rides.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Pretty funny....but how is this news?

This isn't a news section, this is just a random forum thread.

Yes, this is a news story, not a random forum thread. And while it's not news of the breaking variety, it was something interesting enough that we wanted to share it with you. We run all kinds of stories that don't exactly fit the traditional "news" model, but that we figure you'd like to hear about, just the same.

 

[Jumplion]

Even when 3D is done well, say in Avatar, after 5 minutes i forget its there and just watch the movie as normal

That's a good thing, no?

Anyway, I'm totally going to check out Enslaved some time, it looks like a really interesting breath of fresh air from all the recent FPSs that are coming out with their brown/gray color pallet.

 

[Electrogecko]

It's a fad that should have stayed dead.

Not to mention the more expensive TV's that require wearing accessories to watch. Movies starting to make scenes that fully utilize the 3D effect, which is a stupid handicap because they'd have to make scenes with extreme depth and having things sweep out towards the camera all the time so that people can go "OOOOHH THREE-DEEEEE".

Movies are about stories, not gimmicks. They are not ment to be theme-park rides.

The way you describe 3d implementation is in the worst possible way. New technologies are always exploited in their early stages. Once people stop going to shitty 3d-centric films, they'll stop appearing. While 3d technology is sufficient right now, it will only get better. In time, the glasses will disappear, it will become cheaper to produce, less irritating to the viewing eye, and implemented appropriately. It's foolish to say that 2d is better than 3d- 2 eyes are better than 1 no?

Even when 3D is done well, say in Avatar, after 5 minutes i forget its there and just watch the movie as normal

That's a good sign. Most people complain that all 3d movies do is make stuff pop out at you. You'll only forget it's there WHEN it's done well. That's kinda the point- immerse you in the experience.

 

[TOGSolid]

That's a good sign. Most people complain that all 3d movies do is make stuff pop out at you. You'll only forget it's there WHEN it's done well. That's kinda the point- immerse you in the experience.

I don't think that guy meant it that way. I think he meant that it added absolutely nothing to the movie.

3d tech is a fad and nothing more. I've played the Nvidia 3d demo games and the 3d did nothing to enhance the game. If anything, it was just a distraction at times.

 

[Electrogecko]

That's a good sign. Most people complain that all 3d movies do is make stuff pop out at you. You'll only forget it's there WHEN it's done well. That's kinda the point- immerse you in the experience.

I don't think that guy meant it that way. I think he meant that it added absolutely nothing to the movie.

3d tech is a fad and nothing more. I've played the Nvidia 3d demo games and the 3d did nothing to enhance the game. If anything, it was just a distraction at times.

Like I said before, 3d is a definite improvement whether people want to believe it or not. If it's done well, all it does is add realism, immersion, and perspective. Would you rather look at a photo or look out the window? Saying 3d adds nothing is like saying HD adds nothing- neither one of them add anything but spectacle to a movie/game. Also, fad, by definition, means a short-lived trend, and I promise you 3d is not going anywhere. Like I said in my previous post, the technology will only improve, making viewing 3d more natural, comfortable, cheap, and effective.

 

[SelectivelyEvil13]

I believe that there is plentyof potential for 3D technology, but it all comes down to how quickly the new televisions are adopted and whether or not the effect will be worth the additional cost in the first place for any specific title. The jump to HD already raised the cost for development, so the greater increase with 3D implementation will have to be considered for some games and movies.

Ultimately, that cost would come back to the customer in the form of higher prices. Sixty dollars is already a bit steep for many games, so an additional price hike to include a purely aesthetic feature rather than game content is something I am not disposed to support with my wallet.

It's foolish to say that 2d is better than 3d- 2 eyes are better than 1 no?

Unless you're like me and seeing 3D is impossible because of one eye or another.

 

[Electrogecko]

I believe that there is plentyof potential for 3D technology, but it all comes down to how quickly the new televisions are adopted and whether or not the effect will be worth the additional cost in the first place for any specific title. The jump to HD already raised the cost for development, so the greater increase with 3D implementation will have to be considered for some games and movies.

Ultimately, that cost would come back to the customer in the form of higher prices. Sixty dollars is already a bit steep for many games, so an additional price hike to include a purely aesthetic feature rather than game content is something I am not disposed to support with my wallet.

It's foolish to say that 2d is better than 3d- 2 eyes are better than 1 no?

Unless you're like me and seeing 3D is impossible because of one eye or another.

Speaking of which, I realized how funny and ironic it is that there is a MGS game coming to 3ds. The player has stereoscopic vision when the protagonist doesn't!!! Haha!!!

 

[TOGSolid]

That's a good sign. Most people complain that all 3d movies do is make stuff pop out at you. You'll only forget it's there WHEN it's done well. That's kinda the point- immerse you in the experience.

I don't think that guy meant it that way. I think he meant that it added absolutely nothing to the movie.

3d tech is a fad and nothing more. I've played the Nvidia 3d demo games and the 3d did nothing to enhance the game. If anything, it was just a distraction at times.

Like I said before, 3d is a definite improvement whether people want to believe it or not. If it's done well, all it does is add realism, immersion, and perspective. Would you rather look at a photo or look out the window? Saying 3d adds nothing is like saying HD adds nothing- neither one of them add anything but spectacle to a movie/game. Also, fad, by definition, means a short-lived trend, and I promise you 3d is not going anywhere. Like I said in my previous post, the technology will only improve, making viewing 3d more natural, comfortable, cheap, and effective.

HD allowed for a much clearer picture with video games and that means you can more accurately asses what's going on. That sir, is situational awareness. I didn't get composite cables for my old XBOX just so Steel Battalion would be prettier, I got them because the sharper resolution meant more accurate target identification at long range.

3D doesn't add anything like that.

Would you rather look at a photo or look out the window?

I don't need $100+ glasses to look out the window. If 3d is affordable by the time my rather nice HD TV dies, then sure, I'd get a 3d tv just for the lulz, but only if a) It's around the same price I paid for this one and b) doesn't require any glasses or additional hardware. However, the reason for that purchase would be the same reason I got my first HD last year. It was cheap and my old tv died.

 

[Electrogecko]

HD allowed for a much clearer picture with video games and that means you can more accurately asses what's going on. That sir, is situational awareness. I didn't get composite cables for my old XBOX just so Steel Battalion would be prettier, I got them because the sharper resolution meant more accurate target identification at long range.

3D doesn't add anything like that.

Would you rather look at a photo or look out the window?

I don't need $100+ glasses to look out the window. If 3d is affordable by the time my rather nice HD TV dies, then sure, I'd get a 3d tv just for the lulz, but only if a) It's around the same price I paid for this one and b) doesn't require any glasses or additional hardware. However, the reason for that purchase would be the same reason I got my first HD last year. It was cheap and my old tv died.

You have a point, but if HD adds situational awareness, 3d definitely does too. Do you realize that without 3d, that long range target you speak of might actually be a smaller close range target? Just as having 2 eyes gives you depth perception, stereoscopic 3d does too. This is why I brought up the window analogy. If you've ever played Mario 64, do you remember the room in which all the paintings of Little Big World reside? From the center of the room, all the paintings appear to be the same distance away and the same size, but once you start heading for them, you realize that one is right in front of your face and another is a 10 second run away. Had you been equipped with stereoscopy, you wouldn't have needed to experiment to realize how far away each of the paintings were- You would've known just by looking. This is the major advantage of 3d visuals- It will make 3d environments significantly easier to perceive and judge distance in. Aside from that, it makes the game world appear more tangible and immersive.