...I'm excited as hell to see Factor 5's next GC project. I know I'm not the only one, still, it's a good read, and interesting to think about/discuss. Read on!
What makes me anxious is the fact that developers Factor 5 and Bungie Studios, pertty much went head to head during the launch of Xbox and GameCube, with their first-gen games--Rogue Leader and Halo.
Factor 5 Vs Bungie Studios: Round 1
(GameCube holds it's own against Xbox)
From a technical standpoint, both these games turn many heads, and for the most part, were the only two console games that
best showed what each respective system was capable of
at the time of release.
Looking back, I think it's safe to say that Rogue Leader had the edge over Halo. While some touchy gamers/fanboys would disagree, the facts will remain.
Amazing bump-mapped textures on par with Halo's
click here
Significantly more detailed models
click here
Displayed more on-screen detail
click here
Used self-shadowing extensively. Something Halo completely lacked.
click here
--While doing all that, it STILL
generally run at 2X the framerate of Halo. Really, Rogue Leader showcased the cababilities of GameCube exceptionally well. Amidst all the opposing debates/flamewars, I had absolutely no doubt that the Cube could give the Box a run for it's money any day, if handled correctly. Afterall, Facfor 5 never once doubted the Cube's power.
If you're familiar with Factor 5, you'd know that the company's president, Julian Eggebrecht, is a very talkative guy(especially before and shortly after the release of Rogue Leader).
I'm sure many of you may still remembers statements like the following.
"
...we don’t think there is anything visually you could do on X-Box (or PS2) which can’t be done on GameCube..." Julian continued, "
when I said that X-Box and GameCube are on par power-wise I really meant it. " --
interviewed by PlanetGameCube.
It's true that 'talk is cheap', but that's only when you can't back it up. As you've seen with Rogue Leader, quotes like that was easily justified.
Factor 5 vs Bungie Studios: Round 2
(Can the Cube go another?)
Fast-forward to the present, times have changed, Bungie is on to their second-gen title, and while that above statement from Julian may ultimately be true, it is however,
no longer substantiated, as there is currently nothing on GameCube that comparatively stands on the same technological level as Halo 2 is aiming for. Can Factor 5 'put' the Cube back on Xbox's level? With the recently announced Halo 2, Bungie/Microsoft seem intent on turning heads yet again. Admittedly, the game screens were and eyefull(I haven't had chance to check out the trailer), and even the most critical of people would find it hard to deny the game's beauty. For Bungie, this will be their second-gen attempt, so naturally they're pulling out all the stops. As they stated;
"Our code squeezes every drop of power out of the Xbox... We're doing dynamic lighting and shadows, per-pixel everything, rendering gigantic, lush environments. The graphical features we're using are so advanced we don't even have buzzwords for them yet." --- Chris Butcher, lead engineer
<-- click to enlarge...she's a beauty, ain't she?
I've been watching these boards closely since the Halo 2 announcement, and it seems the question that lingers on almost everyone thoughts, yet, reluctant to ask is;[edit, I was refering to IGN boards]
"Will we see similarly impressive GameCube software, that rivals the visual seen in Halo 2?"
Now, I do feel that equally incredible feats are possible on GCN, but you have to ask yourself: What are the chances of that occuring by developers who are only now making their first batch of GameCube software, or developers who didn't appeared to really take advantage of the hardware as yet? The chance is there, but slim.
That's why I(like many of you) am anxious to see Factor 5's next line of work . They've already released a GC game, and quite frankly, their knowledge of the hardware have so far proven to be unparallele. What makes them even more interesting, is that comparatively, they are probably as knowledgeable of GameCube, as Bungie is of Xbox. They've had just as much time to tear apart the hardware as Bungie did.
If there's any GC game that'll challenge what Bungie is doing on Xbox, anytime soon, that is; it's a high possibility that it'll come out of Factor 5's headquarters. It'd always be interesting to see if their software will "cross paths" with Bungie's again, and how they'll both utilize the potential of the respective console.
Patience, time will tell
(the wait is on!)
Meanwhile, Factor 5 is keeping the lid closed on their possible GC project/s. Can they prove (again) that GameCube can compete on the same level as Xbox? All there is to dwell on is references to an aging head to head between Halo and RL, and vague statements from Factor 5, regarding second-gen software.
--- "
In a second generation game we’ll obviously focus on more complicated applications[for GCN's programmable TEV pipeline]." Factor 5,
interviewed by PGC.
--- "
We have already started work on the next projects and have a bit more time with the Gamecube launch pressure gone. Rogue Leader might seem to do a lot, but look at it as the bare minimum. You can do so many things in a second-generation game, and everybody here is really excited about pushing the Gamecube hardware." --- Factor 5, EGM magazine (fall, 2001)
--- "
Within the constraints of a first generation title we are very happy with how much we are able to put into the game[Rogue Leader] and it certainly uses a lot of the Gamecube's features. On the other hand, this is only the tip of the iceberg and we already have a gazillion ideas of what to do in second generation products." --- Factor 5,
interviewed by LucasGames
Sounds promising, and I can't wait to see the fruits of their labor. Whether or not it'll be enough to rival what Bungie is doing, is a probability we'll have to await.
Well, I'll end on that note, but I want to leave you guys with these two questions:
1) Do you believe that--from a technical standpoint--Factor 5 can
once again prove that GameCube can indeed keep up with Xbox, by rivaling what Bungie is doing in Halo 2?
2) Is there anyone that thinks Bungie Studios/Xbox may have raised the bar to a point where Factor 5/GameCube can only
approach Halo's visuals/technology, but
not equal/surpass them?
(note: I believe Factor 5 next game may be an 'original' game, therefore may not be released until a while after Bungie's sequel to Halo. Still, I'm looking forward to see how it'll stack up because both companies are undoubtfully at work on their games simultaneously, even now as we speak)
All comments are welcome, share your thoughts!
PS: I posted this on IGN boards today, so naturally, we got us ourselves a GT version as well.
(only minor inconvenience is that you have follow links at the beginning, in order to see the pics[admittedly, I do like the way pics are automatically resized on IGN boards.. keeps threads neat]. Everything else is virtually indentical)
After Seeing Bungie's Halo 2...
(look up)
Hybrid Mode
