SIGGRAPH 2009 panel to focus on Fight Night Round 4, Gears of War 2 graphics

by Randy Nelson { Jun 26th 2009 at 6:00AM }

The organizer of SIGGRAPH, an annual gathering of digital visual artists, has already implied that gaming will have a larger presence at 2009's conference than in previous years; there's even going to be a keynote address by SimCity creator Will Wright. It's now been announced that a session focusing on real-time computer graphics will explore the creation of visuals for EA Sports' newly released Fight Night Round 4 and Epic Games' not-so-new (but still mightily pretty) Gears of War 2.

Titled "Big, Fast, and Cool: Making the Art for Fight Night Round 4 & Gears of War 2" (that title is neither small, quick or cool, by the way), the session is being offered for CG artists because, as SIGGRAPH 2009 real-time rendering chair Evan Hirsch says, "So much of what makes today's videogames so great are the responsive graphics and the stories that unfold during game play." It's a shame about that "during game play" bit; otherwise the entire thing could be called "The cinematics of Metal Gear Solid 4: Watch and Learn." Next year, Kojima. Next year.

Tags: ea, epic, epic-games, fight-night-round-4, gears-of-war-2, microsoft-game-studios, siggraph, siggraph-2009

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

ryanpaulmcgowan @ Jun 26th 2009 6:08AM

Off the top of my head, I don't recall a single game I've played where a story has unfolded as I played it. Always in cut scenes, dialog where there is a lack of action, or in places where it would normally just be a cut scene except I can run around and the people turn their heads to follow me until I'm behind them in which case they just look in front of them while talking to nothing.

JUST SAYIN

Mana37 @ Jun 26th 2009 6:11AM

perhaps you forget about a little title known as Bioshock!!!!
Everything seemed in-game... if you also count the times you couldn't control yourself.

ryanpaulmcgowan @ Jun 26th 2009 6:13AM

Lull's in the action are the equivalent of me walking while someone talks to me, since that's what happened in Bioshock.

If that's playing a game then I do it just about every day after lunch when I'm outside not playing a game.

Mana37 @ Jun 26th 2009 6:15AM

But the most definitive moments occurred in those moments when you couldn't control yourself... I dare not post spoilers!

Premature ejaculation man @ Jun 26th 2009 6:17AM

There are story revelations during gameplay. I can recall a few, but I don't think developers allow them to be big so that you can focus on the gameplay, not the story.

Like those cutscenes where you find out you've been killing the god guys and you want to then shoot the bad guys. That would be an awkward twist during gameplay...Though I'd have a lot of fun with it anyway ;p

Mana37 @ Jun 26th 2009 6:25AM

...Well, those who have yet to play the modern classic have just prematurely ejaculated... and those are never any fun.

ryanpaulmcgowan @ Jun 26th 2009 7:54AM

"But the most definitive moments occurred in those moments when you couldn't control yourself... I dare not post spoilers!"

Mana, that's my point.

"It's a shame about that "during game play" bit; otherwise the entire thing could be called "The cinematics of Metal Gear Solid 4: Watch and Learn."

My response was directed at that comment.

I guess it was supposed to be a funny little jab not to be taken seriously, but it just made it seem like the writer didn't really understand what Evan Hirsch was saying... or maybe the person hasn't played MGS4.

Because, of the two games listed, only really Gears has the potential to tell a story during game play, and according to the definition the author gave to that phrase, it didn't. The only difference between Gears and MGS would be the length of the story telling bits (I.E. the part of the game you aren't playing).

And, despite this, you're still playing the game even when you're just watching a cut scene.

Unless Evan Hirsch was referring to using the world and the events that happen in the world to tell a story without pulling you out of the game... sort of like what happens in the first moments of MGS4 when you're sneaking around a war zone watching two factions kill each other. But that seems unlikely given the context.