Starbreeze Explains Shootery Syndicate

[Andronicus]

Time has moved on

No shit sherlock, that sounds like G.W Bush's line about "I think we can all agree the past is behind us".

Also, can anyone think of a decent Co op game that wasn't designed specifically to be co op like Left 4 Dead? I can honestly say that FEAR 3 was total ass because of it, since the original 2 games were single player focused.

I think Portal 2 fits your criteria, but that's an example of a co-op that would be incredibly out of place in Syndicate. Irrelevant to the topic, but I don't think you can state that co-op has never been done right. The closest thing to a Syndicate co-op that might be considered even remotely worthy of the original might be something like Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory's co-op, but even then it doesn't really do it justice.

The fact that this guy thinks it can, and that the fanbase will "thank" him for it, is simply ludicrous.

 

[Antari]

I am absolutely sick and tired of shooters. I've shot every kind of creature and object imaginable in every terrain and time period possible. Enough with this useless drool already! Its like watching someone photocopy something make a quick scribble on it and exclaim, "Look at this totally origional work of mine!" Its beyond sickening. Its the same thing with Origin ... a copycat of Steam, with a ripped off name from a company EA bought out. Nearly everything EA does is absolutely insulting.

Time hasn't moved on. There are just people out there smart and creative enough to realize there is more than 1 type of game!

 

[Andronicus]

I am absolutely sick and tired of shooters. I've shot every kind of creature and object imaginable in every terrain and time period possible. Enough with this useless drool already! Its like watching someone photocopy something make a quick scribble on it and exclaim, "Look at this totally origional work of mine!" Its beyond sickening. Its the same thing with Origin ... a copycat of Steam, with a ripped off name from a company EA bought out. Nearly everything EA does is absolutely insulting.

Time hasn't moved on. There are just people out there smart and creative enough to realize there is more than 1 type of game!

I've become pretty disillusioned with the games market these days. I'm biding my time until 3D platformers come back into fashion.

 

[Antari]

I am absolutely sick and tired of shooters. I've shot every kind of creature and object imaginable in every terrain and time period possible. Enough with this useless drool already! Its like watching someone photocopy something make a quick scribble on it and exclaim, "Look at this totally origional work of mine!" Its beyond sickening. Its the same thing with Origin ... a copycat of Steam, with a ripped off name from a company EA bought out. Nearly everything EA does is absolutely insulting.

Time hasn't moved on. There are just people out there smart and creative enough to realize there is more than 1 type of game!

I've become pretty disillusioned with the games market these days. I'm biding my time until 3D platformers come back into fashion.

Unfortunately they won't come into fashion with a doddling moron like Electronic Arts at the helm of the market.

 

[The Random One]

That attitude towards the game has just made me really sad.

'nuff said. A Syndicate game about a guy with a gun is like a Civ game about a guy with a spear.

At least they still have the Persuadatron, so not all hope is lost.

 

[Waaghpowa]

Time has moved on

No shit sherlock, that sounds like G.W Bush's line about "I think we can all agree the past is behind us".

Also, can anyone think of a decent Co op game that wasn't designed specifically to be co op like Left 4 Dead? I can honestly say that FEAR 3 was total ass because of it, since the original 2 games were single player focused.

I think Portal 2 fits your criteria

Portal 2 Co op was made entirely separate from the single player campaign, so in my opinion it was fine. What my problem with all this co op crap is that some developers design the single player and co op campaign as the same thing, which is why FEAR 3 suffered so much. I did a review on it. The gist of it is that they made the single player campaign the same as "competitive co op", if that makes sense, but designed the entire thing as if you were supposed to have a buddy at all times. If they do the same thing with Syndicate, they failed the moment they stepped out of the gate. If they make the co op separate from the single player, then it might turn out....weird.

But I can agree with you that most dev's haven't been able to do co op right. Left 4 Dead is a perfect example of proper co op, where everyone's success and survival relies on everyone pitching in and sticking together. This "play together to see who gets the most points" thing is bullshit since people act like selfish jerks the moment any kind of competition comes up which for co op defeats the purpose. But that's me being a cynic and assuming that's the route they would take with Syndicate.

 

[Programmed_For_Damage]

So basically if you're a fan of RTS, grow the fuck up and get with the times. You'll take your FPS "re-imagining" of your game and you'll enjoy it.

BTW Andy, thanks for posting the intro movie. I forgot how much I used to cringe at the leg ripping scene.

 

[TheDooD]

Developers and publishers do realize that the FPS market is over saturated to the point of bursting because of this kind of attitude? There are only so many shooter fans to go around. You know what would sell? An old school game that stuck to its roots.

Such truth, making Syndicate into a FPS doesn't solve anything. Most FPS fans only really play 4 games CoD, Battlefield, Halo and Team Fortress 2. If they're gonna buy another FPS they're just gonna get through the story play online a few times then they're right back playing the past 4 games. Saying or thinking a Top Down Tactical / Shooter doesn't work these days are fucking lazy cop outs. I'm convinced more and more developers have a hard on for being movie directors. When their job is to make games. The game Syndicate fans want is basically should be looking like Diablo 3 graphically and camera wise. Yet you have the Gunplay, Subterfuge, and Mind-Control that the series is known for. You should be able to have 4 people play at the same time. To me that's EASIER to make then trying to form a deep story, first person perspective from a game where all your troops were expendable and replaceable.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Still not going to get it, I'm good for shooters right now, and always will be. How about they make a game people actually want instead?

 

[Wuvlycuddles]

The game Syndicate fans want is basically should be looking like Diablo 3 graphically and camera wise. Yet you have the Gunplay, Subterfuge, and Mind-Control that the series is known for.

No, the game Syndicate fans want is basically Dawn of War II. That is EXACTLY the kind of game they should be making actually. But even though DoW topped the PC sales charts it never did get a console release and that's what it really comes down to, I bet you any money EA were pitched an RTS Syndicate and were like "Nahh, can't do RTS on consoles, lets make it an FPS then everyone can buy it!"

I'd say this was a case of Nice Job Breaking It Hero [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NiceJobBreakingItHero], but that'd be implying EA was some sort of hero. So I'll go with They Changed It Now It Sucks [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheyChangedItNowItSucks], complete with a big, bold INVOKED tag. No YMMV here.

Actually this is a serious case of Genre Shift [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GenreShift] motivated by Executive Meddling [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ExecutiveMeddling]

 

[infohippie]

"Time has moved on" translation: "We really only know how to make shooters any more since we haven't written anything else for a decade. We're hoping that if we keep pushing the shooter model we can keep getting paid for simply modifying our old games a bit and putting a new skin on them."

 

[Atmos Duality]

"Time has moved on, ergo, it's a shooter now"

This is a total bullshit claim. Why?

Because it's a contradiction. If time truly has moved beyond Syndicate, then they wouldn't be rebooting the franchise in the first place.
This is just another desperate generic cash-grab. Just like the XCOM shooter.

 

[individual11]

EA, in their infinite wisdom, have decided to cash in on the DX cyberpunk ticket, while incurring the publicity of the XCOM debacle? Starbreeze appear to be willing patsies, if my dev team were given this IP and told to turn it into a cinematic FPS, I'd walk. Why don't they just firebomb their own offices to save themselves some time?

As for 'the sun has set on the Syndicate of old', they severely misread their market.
You know what, they want an FPS, fine, do it. Let me take control of any member of my squad at any time, let me go into satellite/blimp view and direct them from there at any time, let me have an FPRTS, give me some fucking STRATEGY, something killed by the corrupt clone industry that is modern videogames.

 

[infohippie]

Considering how many times the original was rereleased and touted as a new version, I dunno if thats really something you can accuse the new devs of when the old ones are probably far more guilty.

True, that is a good point. I'm just so. Goddamn. Tired. Of all these shooters. Shooters never interested me much even when they were new and fresh (yes, I am old enough to remember that far back), and I'm really fed up of seeing all the good game types subsumed into the shooter juggernaut.

 

[Lazarus Long]

The funny thing about this trend of "reimagining" classic games (Syndicate, X-Com, and I'll even go back to Shadowrun) is that the people who would recognize and be excited by the name they're licensing are the people who will refuse to buy it on principle.
Sort of a self-defeating purpose.

 

[Zenkem]

A good example of genre failures is the Settlers series. The first was good, second was better, but from the third game on the game abandoned the roads and transports, which the original game was all about. They ended up making fourth and fifth game too, each going even further down the gutter.

Ten years after Settlers 2, they released Settlers 2 Anniversary Edition. Same game, new graphics, multiple awards and rejoicing fans.

Now, I'm off to work on my NHL 2011 puzzle game...

 

[Irridium]

Oh look. Another FPS. Pass.

Didn't play the original. Sounds kind of interesting though.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

Now, I'm off to work on my NHL 2011 puzzle game...

Is that like Bejewelled but with team logos instead of jewels?

 

[fwiffo]

Remember that mission in starcraft 2 where you controlled 4 "hero" characters? How about the Warcraft 3 the frozen throne lil rpg campaign? I think it would be awesome to do that style for a full game in the syndicate world.

I guess its a shame blizzard doesn't have this IP to make a great small squad rts with rpg elements.

I still think keyboard and mouse would work even with consoles. Maybe in some sort of bundle, like the guitar hero controller.

Its nice to dream, I guess.

 

[individual11]

OK, just in case anyone forgot; Electronic Arts already have a pre-existing Cyberpunk First Person Roleplaying Shooter Intellectual Property; I'll give you a clue:

"L-l-look at you, Hacker..."

For Fuck's Sake, Syndicate should not be a cinematic FPS.

Bring back SHODAN, I wouldn't mind it if Starbreeze did it, they are still floating above average on the Developer Quality Scale, just don't destroy Syndicate in a cynical cash grab.

Alternatively, buy the IP for Ghost In The Shell off Masamune Shirow, and make this game into that. GITS would fit a cinematic FPS, and may even sell in it's country of origin.