Cliff Bleszinski explains why there are so many bald space marines

by Ben Gilbert { Jul 2nd 2009 at 9:15PM }

If you think Unreal Engine 3 games feature too much gray and brown, laden with "pillars and girders," all being stomped around on by bald space marines, Cliff "Young Clifford" Bleszinski wants you to blame the tech. Speaking with Develop recently, the man that birthed Marcus Fenix said, "The technology of this generation just happens to be very good at rendering metals and stones and dramatic lighting." He argues that "translucent effects" are much harder to pull of with the technology given and as such, "the tech is good at showing off armor and it's not that good at doing hair ... that's why we have bald space marines."

Though we'd argue that there are lots of bald men in our lives who happen to not be space marines -- CheapyD and Dr. Manhattan prime among them -- we can appreciate how Marcus Fenix may be more equipped to take down the Locust than an omnipotent blue man. Wait a minute! Interestingly, Bleszinski also notes during the interview that he's got "like five projects going on right now" -- we're counting Shadow Complex and another (still unannounced) Gears of War, which leaves three unannounced projects? Something is afoot at Epic Games. And it almost certainly involves bald space marines.

Tags: cheapyd, cliff-bleszinski, cliffyb, develop, dr-manhattan, epic-games, gears-of-war, gears-of-war-2, marcus-fenix, shadow-complex, unreal-engine-3

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Sly @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:20PM

unreal tournament?

Ellianth @ Jul 3rd 2009 1:42AM

I'd rather an explanation on why Gears 2 is so effin buggy.

VicViper @ Jul 3rd 2009 9:18AM

@Ellianth

Amen. Dennis Dyack might've been right after all...

J.Goodwin @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:21PM

Jazz Jackrabbit XBLA
Jazz Jackrabbit 2 XBLA
Jazz Jackrabbit Holiday Hare Compilation XBLA

Nihilism98 @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:26PM

Hell yes.

Lucky @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:44PM

No, Jazz Jackrabbit 3.

J.Goodwin @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:48PM

You see the screens of JJ3? We were fortunate that abortion was never released.

Chin-Paaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!! @ Jul 2nd 2009 10:51PM

Rerelease Jazz Jackrabbit on the PC too please!

Manly Mcbeefington (Mr. ESC) @ Jul 2nd 2009 11:51PM

A Xargon remake would rule.

Jeff @ Jul 2nd 2009 11:53PM

I remember playing the unfinished demo for JJ3 back in the day. Loved it at the time, but I was obsessed with JJ2 back then, and much less discerning. I think "Jazz Jackrabbit in 3D" was enough to win me.

Sly @ Jul 3rd 2009 1:16AM

steam & PSN too...

ryanpaulmcgowan @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:22PM

Sounds more like a cop-out and lazy behavior than anything else.

He said "The tech is better for bald."

I read "Doing hair is too hard."

Longhorn of Myon [PSN: MariusElijah] @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:24PM

tell that to Square Enix

WREturns @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:31PM

I think he means that it's hard doing hair with actual in-game graphics. You know, something that isn't in a cut scene, for example.

Bastard11 @ Jul 2nd 2009 10:55PM

Looks pretty good to me.

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/734/734220/final-fantasy-xiii-20061007021935659.jpg

http://images.bluelaguna.net/final-fantasy-13-xiii/images/final-fantasy-13-xiii-19.jpg

http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/734/734220/final-fantasy-xiii-20061007021934284_640w.jpg

deanb @ Jul 2nd 2009 11:17PM

What's weird is Square Enix can make UE3 do hair. It just run's like a bag 'o' crap - 360 version of Last Remnant case in point.
Obviously Crystal Tools has hair built in form the start, so it is Unreal that can't do hair, though they weren't really expected some crazy Japanese company to come attempt to use an FPS engine to do something other than FPS.

Vcize @ Jul 3rd 2009 12:18AM

Are there really even that many bald space marines? I mean, between Gears 1 and Gears 2 there was only one bald guy and he died in Act 1 of the first game. Everyone else has hair.

WiredKnight @ Jul 3rd 2009 12:46AM

No one's saying we *can't* do it. Obviously there are many developers who can. I think what he's is really trying to say is that yea, it's difficult, and those resources would be better spent on other aspects of the game.

It's not a cop-out when Epic has some of the best looking games on the 360. You should try doing it yourself before you start calling people lazy.

Eh @ Jul 3rd 2009 2:05AM

Japan has always been good at hair, even on the PS2. Cant think of any western games with good hair, Im just reminded of the hideous hair in Mass Effect and Oblivion/Fallout3.

deanb @ Jul 3rd 2009 2:17AM

Mass Effect was Unreal too :P
Bethseda aren't too bad, Fallout had some pretty cool hair styles. Obviously they don't manage to do the whole PhysX'ed hair, but it's okay (if a bit shiny/plastic)

WiredKnight @ Jul 3rd 2009 4:40AM

@Eh

How about Tomb Raider, Uncharted, and Rock Band (very stylized, I know, but still well done).

FraGNeM @ Jul 3rd 2009 11:49AM

Adding to what WiredKnight3 said, 3 of the 4 protagonists in Gears of War have hair.

It's short hair, but that makes sense for the characters anyway.

So it's no "cop out".

sony boy @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:23PM

who needs hair. bald ppl are cool. unless your not in the army.

MrKlorox @ Jul 3rd 2009 3:26AM

yeah, then you're just a genetic freak

BxGT @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:24PM

He just spoiled the whole plot of max payne 3

mezzanine @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:29PM

"She looked at me, her eyes like icy steel and said 'Max, you're bald because of the engine limitations.'

My legs wobbled like mushy bananas and the gun dropped from my hand. The pieces all came together. I've become a bald slob because Cliffy B made it that way. I knew there was only one way out."

WREturns @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:36PM

I walked the 15 minutes to the wig store and spent and hour trying to decide on a color. In the end I chose blonde because, let's face it, I could use more fun in my life like a clown with burning herpes could use seltzer water, a cream pie and a handful of valtrex.

CH3BURASHKA @ Jul 2nd 2009 9:58PM

@Mezzanine:

Good job, Sam Lake.

MuToiD_MaN @ Jul 2nd 2009 10:09PM

The wig mannequins stared back at me. Accusing eyes, reminding me of the dead loved ones I constantly left in my wake, like a shaky trash barge that couldn't hold onto its rotting payload. Except those eyes didn't disappear into the darkness as I made my way further into the night, they followed me everywhere I went. It's this plague I faced that led me to my addiction to runny Danishes and cheese puffs, evidence of which I bore on my wifebeater shirt like badges of dishonor. The hair I was missing on my head was the final insult, one that I was going to make sure they paid for.

I grabbed my gun off the ground. The icy sensation of cold steel seemed to reflect my thoughts. It was time to get even.