Tecmo's Gears of War clone is no longer a PS3 exclusive. During a recent interview in Tokyo, Tecmo revealed that Quantum Theory will also be coming to Xbox 360 in Spring 2010. That's the same North American release window given to the PS3 version, which is currently 70% complete. While Tecmo has traditionally focused on making engines and games exclusively for one system at a time, Quantum Theory is being developed on an unnamed internal PC-based engine designed to make multiplatform development easier, much like Square Enix's Crystal Tools. However, we still have our doubts about the engine: the latest build we saw of Quantum still suffered from performance issues.
Quantum Theory has been largely panned, not just for its gameplay but its rather uninspired look. However, Tecmo responded to these claims, saying they can provide a unique look for the genre. "One of the ways we're looking at differentiating Quantum Theory and one of the things that we can bring to the genre is an emphasis on story, art and visuals," Tecmo's Producer Makoto Shibata told us. "Most third person shooters are military-based and kind of brown. We're trying to bring more color and beauty ... We think this kind of style is kind of unique to us, and says about what Tecmo can do differently," Shibata added, noting that over half the art staff is female.
There are some decidedly Japanese gameplay elements, including a mechanic that's been described as "R-Type-esque." The AI-controlled female partner is, in many ways, exactly like the arcade shooter's Force: players throw her to inflict massive damage via her melee attacks. Ridiculous? Certainly, but it's quite possibly the most original thing Quantum Theory has going for it.
Editor's note: Interview conducted by Joystiq Japan correspondent Ittousai.
Reader Comments (91)
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 11:36AM Spike Spiegel Humble Bounty Hun said
Not much isn't considered a clone these days.
Reply
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 12:28PM Odog4ever said
@ Samuel Vimes
Seriously, every game that comes out is a clone of a game that came before it. There are no new game mechanics or genres. All developers can do is combine them in new ways and polish them really well. I've come to the conclusion that most people will NEVER understand that concept, because if it's new to them, then it must be original.
Reply
Seriously, every game that comes out is a clone of a game that came before it. There are no new game mechanics or genres. All developers can do is combine them in new ways and polish them really well. I've come to the conclusion that most people will NEVER understand that concept, because if it's new to them, then it must be original.
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 12:42PM Spunky Monkey 190906 said
Unfortunatly, Haze can't torture the souls of many 360 gamers as the company has been bought out, damn, now they will only work on quality titles ¬_¬
Reply
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 4:39PM logicbombde said
Its okay,
Vampire Rain has been multiplat for a while now, before it was 360 exclusive suckage
Reply
Vampire Rain has been multiplat for a while now, before it was 360 exclusive suckage
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 11:34AM (Unverified) said
Because if there's one thing 360 needs its this
Reply
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 11:36AM (Unverified) said
The 360 already has the better version
Still the PS3 exclusive list for 2010 seems unaffected
Reply
Still the PS3 exclusive list for 2010 seems unaffected
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 12:57PM ToTheMoon said
et touché Den-69. That why Dante's Inferno will only be a rental for me. it seems like a GoW clone.. right down to the boss fights...
I might whet my appetite for the main course though - just finished playing the GoW Collection and I have to say that both games still stand up to today's standards in terms of creativity, story telling and fun. Graphics bump was nice too.
As for Quantum Theory, I'll wait to see what the reviews have to say.. right now, it may not even be a rental... Fingers crossed...
Reply
I might whet my appetite for the main course though - just finished playing the GoW Collection and I have to say that both games still stand up to today's standards in terms of creativity, story telling and fun. Graphics bump was nice too.
As for Quantum Theory, I'll wait to see what the reviews have to say.. right now, it may not even be a rental... Fingers crossed...
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 12:38PM Spunky Monkey 190906 said
buzzzzzzzzz, i shall hit you with my lazer sword, buzzzzzz
Reply
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 11:42AM Captain Planet Planeteer Power said
PS3 owners: "TAKE THAT 360 boiZ!! You too shall suffer from dissatisfaction!"
360 owners: "NOOO! KEEP IT AWAY! MY EYEZ!! IT THEY BURNZ..."
Reply
360 owners: "NOOO! KEEP IT AWAY! MY EYEZ!! IT THEY BURNZ..."
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 1:04PM Stevetrop Man of Mystery said
Cap speaks the truth, everything in a nuttshell
Reply
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 11:44AM Faceless Troll said
Why is there a picture of Dom in this article? I don't remember that scene from Gears.
Reply
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 11:48AM (Unverified) said
nobody was gonna buy this anyway, it won't make a splash on either system
Reply
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 12:21PM That Burning Sensation said
... well unless that giant turd is also long. I mean long as in gameplay time. No actually I ment a long turd.
Reply
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 2:19PM RagingStormX said
@ uncle Jesse
I can't totally agree with you on that... I had a massive turd before that could have gotten a perfect 10 in the olympics. That bugger dropped in clean with out a splash.
Reply
I can't totally agree with you on that... I had a massive turd before that could have gotten a perfect 10 in the olympics. That bugger dropped in clean with out a splash.
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 12:30PM Pure Black World Tendency said
In theory, yes...
but in Quantum Theory? Nobody knows, or cares.
Reply
but in Quantum Theory? Nobody knows, or cares.
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 11:49AM Scuffles said
Eh console exclusivity has pretty much gone the way of the dodo, prepare for a tangent.....
The only thing I wish is that the developers got some decent coders who could grasp how to properly write code for the PS3 cell processor. The PS3 has more horsepower than it knows what to do with and I keep seeing games coming out that look and preform worse on the PS3 than they do the 360 because they are worked up on the 360 because its easier and then quickly ported to the PS3.
Honestly I had given up on computers and moved to consoles for ease of use but now a days consoles have gotten complex enough I feel myself making the shift back to PCs. About the only actual console console left out there is the Wii everything else suffers from crippling "ship now fix later" syndrome and "half completed sell the rest as DLC" syndrome ~.~
Reply
The only thing I wish is that the developers got some decent coders who could grasp how to properly write code for the PS3 cell processor. The PS3 has more horsepower than it knows what to do with and I keep seeing games coming out that look and preform worse on the PS3 than they do the 360 because they are worked up on the 360 because its easier and then quickly ported to the PS3.
Honestly I had given up on computers and moved to consoles for ease of use but now a days consoles have gotten complex enough I feel myself making the shift back to PCs. About the only actual console console left out there is the Wii everything else suffers from crippling "ship now fix later" syndrome and "half completed sell the rest as DLC" syndrome ~.~
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 12:18PM The angry pro consumer gaming ga said
Yeah well even though I have a 360 and PS3 I want Gears and the ME series out for the PS3 since they are from 3rd parties and MS owns nothing on the ip's.
Reply
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 12:35PM RKN said
Now consoles have game installations (especially many mandatory ones for PS3), bugs, patches, fixes, firmware updates, etc. The advantage of consoles being easier to start up and play from PCs is slowly going out the windows as they become more complex and try to do more things like PCs. Consoles are becoming more like PCs.
Since a lot of people want PC gaming to die, I wonder why no more games for consoles have keyboard/mouse and mod support like UT3 for PS3? MS wouldn't allow it, but how about more PS3 games?
Reply
Since a lot of people want PC gaming to die, I wonder why no more games for consoles have keyboard/mouse and mod support like UT3 for PS3? MS wouldn't allow it, but how about more PS3 games?
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 12:48PM adolson said
RKN, that is a really good question. There are a few games that do support mouse - I believe that Mahjong Tales does, and I thought there was another that did have kb/mouse support, but I can't recall. In any case, it's far fewer than it should be; next to nothing, really. There's no excuse for it that I've seen. Some speculate that it wouldn't be fair - oh really? How so? Anyone playing online would have the option to simply plug in a keyboard and mouse if they want..
Sony could code a universal hook in the firmware that would allow keyboard and mouse mapping to the DS3 buttons and axis (axes? axises?) if they wanted to. Kinda like back in the day, there was (is?) software that did the opposite, and would map gamepads to keyboard and mouse buttons and movement for games that didn't have gamepad support. I think they should, because this would even out the playing field for those who would want to use kb/mouse, because not everyone wants to spend $60 or whatever on an adapter that does it, or a FragFX controller.
I'd still stick with my DualShock 3, but I think people who prefer kb/mouse should have that option.
Reply
Sony could code a universal hook in the firmware that would allow keyboard and mouse mapping to the DS3 buttons and axis (axes? axises?) if they wanted to. Kinda like back in the day, there was (is?) software that did the opposite, and would map gamepads to keyboard and mouse buttons and movement for games that didn't have gamepad support. I think they should, because this would even out the playing field for those who would want to use kb/mouse, because not everyone wants to spend $60 or whatever on an adapter that does it, or a FragFX controller.
I'd still stick with my DualShock 3, but I think people who prefer kb/mouse should have that option.
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 1:00PM CaramelZappa said
One thing that has confused me with the PS3 since day one is the way game installs are handled. Consoles are supposed to be easier and simpler than PC's. Yet, when I download a 1gb demo off the PSN, I have to wait 5 minutes for it to install. While it's installing I can't do ANYTHING. Can't even browse my friends list. When it finishes, I have to press circle to go back to the main menu. Why doesn't it do that automatically? Why doesn't it launch the game? I clicked on it for a reason. Then, I run the game, and it tells me I need to update. Even though I just downloaded it. So it downloads the update, and then guess what? It needs to install the update. Once I've done all that I can finally launch a game and play it.
Meanwhile, I'm downloading tf2 on my PC. It does this in the background while I do other things and play other games. Once it's done downloading, I click on it and it just plays. How simple and easy is that? And when there's updates steam gets them automatically when it knows I'm not playing online games, so most of the time I don't even know a game was updated. So what platform is easier to use, really? Which one is simpler and more convenient?
The 360 handles downloads way better than the PS3. Hell, even the wii does. You can't download in the background but at least once it's done you can play it right away. None of this going back and forth through the menus bullshit.
And seriously, if the PS3 versions of my multiplatform games supported mouse and keyboard, I'd buy the PS3 version every time. It's amazing how many "hardcore" first person shooters come to the console, yet refuse to use the most accurate control method for the genre.
Reply
Meanwhile, I'm downloading tf2 on my PC. It does this in the background while I do other things and play other games. Once it's done downloading, I click on it and it just plays. How simple and easy is that? And when there's updates steam gets them automatically when it knows I'm not playing online games, so most of the time I don't even know a game was updated. So what platform is easier to use, really? Which one is simpler and more convenient?
The 360 handles downloads way better than the PS3. Hell, even the wii does. You can't download in the background but at least once it's done you can play it right away. None of this going back and forth through the menus bullshit.
And seriously, if the PS3 versions of my multiplatform games supported mouse and keyboard, I'd buy the PS3 version every time. It's amazing how many "hardcore" first person shooters come to the console, yet refuse to use the most accurate control method for the genre.
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 1:04PM RKN said
I know that Crysis on the PC allows me to use a 360 controller and I've played a bit of multiplayer with Crysis Wars and with the game lobby, it tells me if some matches are gamepad only or not, to prevent those with keyboard and mouse from destroying those with a gamepad.
Reply
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 11:49AM (Unverified) said
Props to the japanese for trying something outside their comfort zone...but next time, get someone from the west who knows what the hell they're doing like Kojima hiring ryan payton to make MGS up to modern standards.
I don't think any ps3 fanboys will be crying themselves to sleep over this (besides, we already had that epic day with the FF13 announcement)
Reply
I don't think any ps3 fanboys will be crying themselves to sleep over this (besides, we already had that epic day with the FF13 announcement)
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 11:59AM (Unverified) said
Oh no! I'm devastated by this! Now I only have Heavy Rain, God of War III, Mod Nation Racers, and Gran Turismo 5 to look forward to!
In all seriousness, I hadn't even heard of this game. I don't think I missed much.
Reply
In all seriousness, I hadn't even heard of this game. I don't think I missed much.
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 12:00PM (Unverified) said
you better buy Heavy Rain, if that game flops, I will kill you(unless the reviews are bad)
Reply
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 12:01PM Spike Spiegel Humble Bounty Hun said
Ditto. First time I have seen any articles relating to it.
Reply
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 12:09PM Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi said
I don't see Heavy Rain doing a million in sales the first 6 months....sadly....
Reply
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 12:10PM (Unverified) said
No, like most PS3 and Wii exclusives, it will sell well over the long run.
People made fun of Killzone 2's sales, but did anyone know it's up over two million now? That's pretty good IMO.
Reply
People made fun of Killzone 2's sales, but did anyone know it's up over two million now? That's pretty good IMO.
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 12:42PM Katana Master said
But you also have a 360 so why are you complaining?
^_^
Reply
^_^
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 1:07PM (Unverified) said
Why would you care in the first place? I thought you had a Xbox 360?
Reply
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 1:08PM (Unverified) said
Good heavens, it was a joke! Was my sarcastic tone not evident?
Reply
Posted: Dec 7th 2009 12:01PM Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi said
uhhhh does anyone care?? 3rd party exclusives are going out the window anyways....
it also doesn't look all that appealing.....so I'd rather it go Multiplatform and not end up being another Haze....
Reply
it also doesn't look all that appealing.....so I'd rather it go Multiplatform and not end up being another Haze....
Sorry, you must be logged in to leave a comment.
Featured Stories
The most popular posts
in the last 7 days
- Vita 'UMD Passport' won't be offered in US 218 comments
- Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning review: A tempting fate 152 comments
- David Jaffe leaves Eat Sleep Play, layoffs hit developer [Update] 107 comments
- Don't call it a remake: Final Fantasy X is a 'remaster,' to be clear 95 comments
- Battleship movie adapted into FPS by Double Helix 92 comments











