Ubisoft's Ghost Recon team developing Beowulf game
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ May 23rd 2007 at 10:15AM }
Let's face it, the only way an epic English poem is going to make the jump to video game form is if there's a movie adaptation in-between. Beowulf is quite the lucky (or unlucky, depending on your level of cynicism) piece of literature then, as Ubisoft has announced the development of a game based on the upcoming Robert Zemeckis film of the same name. MCV notes that the Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter team is behind the poetic adaptation of the poetic adaptation, with the voice talents of Beowulf stars Angelina Jolie and Anthony Hopkins expected to feature.Speaking at the ongoing Ubidays conference in Paris, Ubisoft Europe chief, Alain Tascan, promised that Beowulf would "reinvent the hack and slash genre." Perhaps the publisher plans switch things up, defy convention and craft a slash and then hack game instead? Let's aim for another King Kong and not another TMNT, shall we?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Arglor @ May 23rd 2007 10:32AM
was TMNT that bad? I played it and enjoyed it immensly. It got old fast, but it was by far not horrible. I mean you must be expecting something pretty excellent to look at that as a failure.
I viewed it as prince of persia (lite).
tituspullo @ May 23rd 2007 10:40AM
TMNT was great when you put it up against other recent movie games, like spider-man 3!
Jonathan Tran @ May 23rd 2007 10:58AM
see the problem was, Beowulf only fought like, what, 3 enemies? Unless you count about a dozen water snakes.
Also, if you want a good laugh, rent the Beowulf movie starring Christopher lambert
StrangeBum @ May 23rd 2007 10:58AM
Damn...I've always wanted video games of stories like Beowulf and the Odyssey...now a Beowulf one comes out, but it's for a movie.
I hate movie games almost indefinitely [exception: Riddick] and I wasn't a big GRAW fan...it's great team, they do good work, just didn't like GRAW. And I loved all the other Ghost Recon games before it.
But I think it depends on what they try to do with it, if it's a Titan Quest style RPG or if it's going to be more along the lines of a GR game will make all the difference. Here's hoping for the best.
superberg @ May 23rd 2007 11:08AM
This is quite possibly as close as we'll ever get to a Neil Gaiman-related video game, so I'm all for it.
TC @ May 23rd 2007 11:06AM
They need to fix GRAW2 first. Why do they develop games with multi-player modes that require more bandwidth than 95% of the Americal population has???
I would love to understand this...
Or do they sell a game KNOWING that the buyers will only be able to utilize 75% of the games options??
I KNOW I am going to get flamed but I couldn't resist.
wukong @ May 23rd 2007 11:45AM
When I first read Beowulf in English class back in high school, I just knew it had to be a video game. So yeah, I'm acutally excited to see it happen. I just hope its good since its also a movie tie-in.
Judd @ May 23rd 2007 12:23PM
Can't wait until The Canterbury Tales come out!
umm...hello?? @ May 23rd 2007 1:21PM
wow....I just played a concert piece with our community band this last Sunday that was entitled Beowulf (King of all Yeots) and Grendel--a trilogy (3 pieces selected), AND just found a movie at blockbuster entitled Beowulf which I rented yesterday...weird coincidence or what??
razer @ May 23rd 2007 1:33PM
I notice you have this filed under Xbox360 and Wii. Wasn't this announced as a PS3 Exclusive?
Obvious @ May 23rd 2007 2:08PM
Cue the Juno Reactor music.
Triforceowner @ May 23rd 2007 3:46PM
Movie adaption? First you need the modern novel adaption (LOTR) than the movie, than the game ;)
pangit @ May 23rd 2007 4:22PM
gaaah. i hate beowulf and all old english lit.
Anticrawl @ May 23rd 2007 4:37PM
Aren't there already like 3 other movies based on Beowulf? There are other written works based on the poem that could elaborate further battles but to get to the more important subject at hand...
So Angelina Jolie plays Beowulf's mother right... I mean have you seen the flapper on that beast, she could swallow a horse... and I'll let you guys take that comment how you will.. perverts.
Levi @ May 23rd 2007 6:04PM
@6
Well, Gaiman did create the Angela character for the Spawn series, so, in a way, you're playing a Neil Gaiman game when Angela shows up in a Spawn game. I wouldn't know if she ever actually appears in any of the games because I've never attempted to play any of them.