|
|
|
Tuesday, January 02, 2007 |
|
Going to School with Alicia *NOW WITH IMAGES*
Matt Rush
Producer
What’s better than a beautiful witch in black? -A beautiful witch in a schoolgirl uniform.
 -Click here for larger image
This blog entry is in honor of Alicia’s first downloadable “Schoolgirl” costume that will be made available on Xbox Live® Marketplace when the game releases. Playing the game with Alicia wearing this outfit is like sitting in class next to the school hottie- it makes it really hard to get any work done. When trying to save the world in BW the last thing you want is a distraction. So to escape having to stay after school writing “I will not die in Bullet Witch” a hundred times on the blackboard, I will make this confession: Yes, I have been shot by a demon while being distracted…more than once.
So as an excuse for not doing any homework and more importantly to post more screenshots, the curriculum for this week’s blog includes a few inspiring lessons from Bullet Witch which can be gleaned in addition to this gothic adventure…
 -Click here for larger image
Lesson 1: Face Your Demons
Alicia is not only fighting demons in the real world but inside her head as well. It takes courage to fight both, but often our own worst enemy comes from within. When Alicia is confronted with facing her fears she runs…to meet them.
 -Click here for larger image
Lesson 2: Believe in Something Big
Alicia is still searching for answers, but one thing she’s now certain of is her purpose. Focused on her ultimate objective, killing Geists, Screamers, Walnut Heads and Gigas becomes nothing in comparison. Adversity and obstacles are swatted away like flies. Although she can heal the wounded, something important like saving humanity from extinction is actually worth getting out of bed for.
 -Click here for larger image
Lesson 3: Remember “Every Evening has a Sunrise”
The peculiar words of an unknown poet are discovered by Alicia on the walls of an underground sewer. There truly is a good side to everything if one is determined to find it. This seems to be an underlying theme in Bullet Witch. A world lies in ruins as Alicia stands in the glow of a magnificent sunrise. Happiness is assured only when one relentlessly pursues the possibility of a “Happy Ending”…
Playing Bullet Witch gets me psyched! When I return I will have more on BW and responses to posts including sng-ign’s amazing finishing move for Alicia shown here
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas, and I hope everyone pursues his or her dreams this upcoming New Year! - Matt Rush
|
Wednesday, December 13, 2006 |
|
Improvements and Packaging
Hello again folks, hope 2006 is wrapping up nicely for all of you. I’m happy to report that Bullet Witch is definitely wrapping up nicely on our end! I’m going to take a few minutes to talk through more of the improvements we’ve made to the game, and answer your questions on extra content and packaging updates from the Japanese version.
First off, let’s talk about general game play improvements. Cavia has taken the time to rework the controls and tighten up the play experience. Those of you that have played the Japanese version will definitely notice differences in the force feedback, gun targeting, and camera control/movement. These tweaks have a pretty profound effect on the fun level of the game – instead of fighting with the controls you forget about them, and find yourself totally immersed in the action of the game.
 -Click here for larger image
Graphically Cavia took the necessary time to bring this game into the Next-Gen (now Current-Gen?) world of HD evolved visuals. Texture maps have been updated to deliver the level of detail we all want. Also object and item collisions are much more realistic now and little things like debris from explosions respond awesomely.
The AI has also been improved and makes battles against groups of enemies even more exciting. Specifically, squads of enemy shooters often have leaders which direct them in battle. They are very well organized when this leader is shouting orders so take him out first – then the troops become unfocused and much easier to dominate…
 -Click here for larger image
Finally, in terms of extra content and levels, we are planning on releasing download packs of costumes and missions. These packs will be free and will be a lot of fun. Specifically there will be 5 additional costumes/outfits for Alicia (very hot) and a bunch of re-created levels and missions. More on this in upcoming blogs.
As for the packaging, we’re going to be updating the front of the box to focus more on the excitement and action. You’ll see how the logo was moved to the top which was done to catch your eye on the shelf – also, many shelves in the US often cover the bottom half of the package and we didn’t the title to be cut off. To keep true to the original package, we plan on printing the cover slip double-sided so you’ll be able to choose which box front you want, the new US design or the original Japanese – very cool. In addition to the double-sided cover slip, we are planning on including an extra poster in the box, just a little something for the fans of the original artwork, so look for that as well come February.
 -Click here for larger image
Ok, take care, have a kick-ass holiday and keep checking back for more updates!
Jeremiah Cohn
Product Manager
Atari, Inc.
|
Friday, December 08, 2006 |
|
Localizing the Game
Hi all, we appreciate your continued interest in Bullet Witch. We’re working on the latest round of questions you had, which should post early next week. Keep them coming!
We’re working hard to get the game ready for American audiences and one of the key components of that effort is localization. The level of localization can vary, depending on the title, but it typically includes adjusting the text and often the voice-overs if the game has them. Localization can go beyond just language, as games need to take into account a country’s laws and culture. For example, Germany is stricter on the amount of blood that can appear onscreen than France.
 -Click here for larger image
For Bullet Witch, the two areas that are being localized are the game’s text and voice-overs. Atari Europe works with vendors to take the Japanese text and translate them into English, French, German, Spanish and Italian.
When English is the lead language, recording voice-overs is usually done first, and then the artists animate to the dialogue. In the case of Bullet Witch, it was the other way around. The game’s director and sound designer, along with the voice director/casting agent flew out to NYC from Japan. The voice director, Mr. Inaba (he calls himself Harry), had already set about casting the parts. After a short meet and greet, the first actor arrived. It’s never a bad idea to start off recording a non-critical part, that way, there is time for the sound engineer, the director, the game designers and the producer to all get into sync. This is what we did. We started off by recording one of the Geists, the demons that like to adorn themselves with human skin.
When recording VO that already exists in the original game, you have to do it to picture. This is harder than it sounds. It’s one thing to do ADR (automated dialogue replacement) when it’s the same language, but the lengths of words vary dramatically from language to language. An English word may be much longer or shorter than the Japanese word it replaces and that can make syncing up the lip flap a lot harder. Also, the mannerisms are different. For example, Maxwell Cougar does a lot of exaggerated movements that really fit the Japanese VO, but we had to work hard to sell it in English.
When recording a character, the first thing you have to do is find the voice. Often, an actor will have done an audition and that sample can be played to help remind him or her what it was that got them the part in the first place. Many times, the director, designer and producer will end up changing the voice when they have the actor in the studio and have a chance to experiment. In the case of Bullet Witch, we are replacing the original VO, so playing back the Japanese recording was often helpful to the actor in terms of understanding tone. It was also useful to have the video to show the actor, so they can see the context of what they are saying. This is one advantage of recording VO after the game is done versus before. In the case of the latter, art is often shown to the actor so they can see who or what it is that they are voicing.
After recording some demons and poor, innocent bystanders who get shot, we moved on to recording Darkness, the presence that lives inside Alicia. For that part, we had Roger Parsons in the booth, who has this really great, deep voice. Then we moved onto recording Alicia’s father, Jonathan (voiced by Jamie McGonnigal). This wasn’t an easy part, as he had to pull off a wider emotional range than a demon.
It’s extremely helpful when recording voice-overs to have the game’s makers with you and it was great to have Cavia with us in the studio. As they had done the Japanese VO, they knew what these characters should sound like and Harry, who speaks Japanese and English was able to bridge the gap between then actors and the designers. It also makes a big difference to be able to get a quick answer to even the most basic questions. For instance, is Alicia pronounced (Ali-shia) or is it (Ali-sia). Cavia preferred the latter and we made it so.
One area that we had to be watchful of was that some lines of dialogue came across very stilted, since the translations were quite literal, sounding more written than spoken. Here, Harry, the actor and I would talk it over and figure out a way to make the line sound more natural, at least as much as we could, as we had to watch the line timing.
Two of the most critical characters in the game are Maxwell Cougar and of course Alicia. For Cougar, Harry brought in Sean Schemmel, who had done work on the Dragon Ball games for Atari. Cougar is the swaggering resistance fighter, sort of a Han Solo type. He’s animated large, so we had to kind of play up the voice or else it just wouldn’t fit. Cavia gave Cougar some funny gestures and Sean really did a great job. He’s a big fan of Japanese games and he’d ad-lib in between takes, causing all of us to crack up, especially the guys from Cavia.
 -Click here for larger image
For Alicia, we had first recorded an actress who did a good job, but for the game’s central character, it was very important that we get the best possible performance we could. There is limited time and budget for recording and casting, but it was felt that we should try another Alicia. The one we had was fine but we wanted to see if we could improve it. Sarah Natochenny, who is actually quite young (18 I think), came in and auditioned. We all agreed that it would be worth recording the entire set of dialogue with her. In the end, her performance was the one that made it into the game. Her key audition line was, “witches don’t need… prayers.” Sarah, who had done some Pokemon, was so excited to play Alicia. I remember her saying how she was the coolest kid in the cafeteria…
Eric Grossman
Producer
Atari Inc.
|
Wednesday, December 06, 2006 |
|
Reader Mail
Matt Rush: Hey. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and played videogames more than they ate! I spent quality time playing “Bullet Witch” and my new favorite-“Sneak King”; I already have two Burger King Crown Achievements that I’m inappropriately proud of. 
Okay, so I’m going to put down the controller and answer your inquiries personally…
To “prodigee”: although you don’t really have a question, thanks for the props. Atari is really happy to be working with the immensely talented Japanese developer Cavia be prepared to see a lot of attention to cool details in the game.
To wicked_monkey: Good spotting…PR has many special appearances scheduled for Alicia, some may be in unexpected places, so keep your eyes out!
To docLEXfisti and Askilfeasd: You’re wondering about the improvements being made for the US version… As many of you know Bullet Witch was just recently released in Japan and Atari has picked up this original IP and is excited to bring it to the US. There’s something unique and special about this game and players will get to experience this as they immerse themselves in Alicia’s world.
But more to the point, Cavia, being so passionate about BW is striving to make as many adjustments as they can in order to enhance the US version. Although some obvious things are being addressed like tuning the targeting and tightening the collision, some other things like improved textures here and there have been thrown in as well. Tweaks to the AI, balance, and weapons (the various forms of Alicia’s gun-rod) are being done. We’re also hoping we can provide new downloadable content for the American audience like costumes and new levels.
As NYCAfro so keenly noticed, Alicia does indeed bring make skyscrapers topple at her very command. You will be able to unleash the most massively devastating spells ever cast on the 360. And not only that, Alicia eventually gains the power to wipe out entire city blocks by calling down meteor showers. It’s truly a beautiful sight to behold.
Speaking of the NPCs, make sure to remember the context of the game. There are less than a billion humans left on the planet. Civilians are being quarantined and corralled by the demons and Walnut Heads (which are a type of telepathic demon that consists of a huge floating brain attached to a dangling body) who amuse themselves by toying with their victims before they kill them. The few remaining survivors are bewildered and devastated and most are in shock. Alicia is free to interact with the people, but most people just aren’t in the mood for socializing right now including Alicia.
As for the AI, I don’t think the technology exists yet to have perfect AI; however I have to say that I’ve had some amazing encounters! First of all the AI acts like reigned anarchy. The demons are militaristic and I can’t tell you how many times their tactics have forced me into vulnerable situations where my cover was compromised and I had to make a run for it. Alicia will be forced to use her gun-rod and her magic together in order to survive. I will tell you it is extremely satisfying to “bring down the Thunder”!
Hi Geranunez. I agree completely. I’m a big fan of games with female leads. I expect fans to become quite attached to Alicia. There really should be more games with female leads and Bullet Witch absolutely does it right.
We look forward to responding to future posts, so please keep ‘em coming!
-Matt Rush
Associate Producer
Atari Inc.
|
Wednesday, November 15, 2006 |
|
Welcome to Bullet Witch
Hi all, I’m Eric Grossman, the US Producer on Bullet Witch.
We’ve kicked off this blog to give you an inside view of what goes on at a publisher when bringing a new game from Japan to the US. I’ll be writing about the production side of the project, everything from recording voice-overs, working with QA, and helping out our marketing folks (actually, we call them marketing geniuses but that’s for a later blog entry).
Bullet Witch is a cool game with a really sexy, likable protagonist named Alicia. I’m psyched to be a part of the team bringing her to the US.
Eric Grossman
Producer
Ok, so we are starting the Bullet Witch blog and I’ll be one of the contributors. I’m Jeremiah Cohn, the Product Manager for the game.
As I’m in marketing I’ll be tempted to spin everything I write and continually point out the game’s best features… just the kind of marketing crap nobody wants to read about in a blog - Doh! Right, so I’ll try not to do that and instead just write about the process of marketing a TOP NOTCH, KICK ASS, AAA+++ GAME!!! (There I go again.) As you might have guessed, even this blog is one of our genius marketing ideas, sweet! All kidding aside, I’ll be providing insights into our marketing plans, what we are doing to let everyone know about this game, how we are tweaking the packaging, and all our online efforts to get the word out. Thanks for your interest!
~JC
Hello. I’m Matt Rush, the Associate Producer on Bullet Witch coming to the Xbox 360.
Along with my cohorts, Eric Grossman and Jeremiah Cohn, I intend to bring you interesting insights from behind the scenes of Bullet Witch, with details about the game, as well as some surprises. Since some call me an artist, I’ll try to focus on more of the aesthetics and creative aspects of the game and leave the straight descriptions to the other guys.
I’ll have you know that it’s a blast working on and playing this title so I can’t wait to share more with you about Bullet Witch!
Thanks,
Matt
|
| Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Fri |
Sat |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Next-Gen-Gamer
Jan 9 '07 3:04 pm PST
Silly Kaz
"I have heard many people say our competitors' systems are just as powerful as the PS3....
Peer-IGN
Jan 9 '07 11:22 am PST
CES 2007 Impressions
Wii dead? HD-DVD trounces Blu-ray? Small Spider Monkeys found inside Xbox 360s, causing...
PikaPal13X
Jan 8 '07 9:08 pm PST
Sim City for DS: FINALLY!!!!!
You may not know this, but I am a huge, huge fan of the SimCity line of games. Not so much the...
Patch_IGN_AU
Jan 8 '07 3:26 pm PST
Pearl Jam is in Guitar Hero II 360.
HELL YES. And this is the song. Sure, you can criticise Ed's mumbling, but there...
Aktrez
Jan 6 '07 3:08 pm PST
What would you like to see from CES?
I will be at CES all week and I wanted to be sure I blogged about things YOU wanted to see! ...
jazN1GGA
Jan 4 '07 6:44 pm PST
wow.. intresting
i think these pics are kind of old but i was online and i came across an intresting wedding...
Bosrel
Dec 29 '06 11:45 am PST
Hands on with the PS3, a more in depth look!
Alright so I've had some more time with the PS3 now to test out features and see how it...
craig-ign
Dec 29 '06 8:02 am PST
Wii Experiment a Success
Summary: Nintendo is clearly onto something. In detail: I presented the Wii to my...
Hil-IGN
Dec 18 '06 1:23 am PST
I Love You, Candy Woodcock
I am a fan of the show Survivor and though I was shocked that Ozzie didn't win tonight, I was...
Jakelawrence18
Jun 10 '06 7:19 am PST
Nintendo Wii will be my Next-Gen Console
First of all Welcome to my blog! I am going to get myself a Nintendo Wii (around Christmas...
|
