Zipper Interactive CEO Brian Soderberg has been talking about how easy it is to develop for Sony’s new motion controller, PlayStation Move. Speaking in an interview with the Seattle Times, Soderberg reckons getting to grips with Sony’s new device is a piece of cake. Responding to the question of what it was like developing a game with Move, the studio head responded:
“[…] it actually was quite easy. I was a little skeptical after playing the Wii because it’s very casual game and “SOCOM 4″ is more of a core game. Although really, we’re shooting for a more accessible game. I think the Move does that for us — it’s much easier than trying to get both thumbs going.”
Soderberg goes on to discuss what gestures will be available in the game, going so far as to suggest that realistic stabbing of enemies is not out of the question.
“We’re still researching additional gestures. I know we’re going to do some close-quarters moves like rifle butts and maybe bayonet style. Other things you can investigate is grenade throw and things like that.”
The CEO also states that the team are all SOCOM nuts, a quality that he believes helps stave off the possibility of the guys working on the game becoming uninterested in something that might be seen as “old hat.”
“I always think they’re going to get tired of it. But when I actually check around the team a lot of them are really rabid “SOCOM” fans too, so they get really excited about it.”
Something us gamers should also be getting excited about is the amount of motion-capture and acting the guys are putting into the game. Unlike other projects where just movement is usually captured, the actors performing the roles in SOCOM 4 are simultaneously recording their dialogue during the scenes. He states:
Rather than just doing motion capture where you hook up the guys and capture the motion, at the same time we also captured the voice so we did dialogue and motion together. …
Another aspect we’re sure to enjoy is how we, the players, are rarely taken out of the action. In fact, the immersive action in the game is being filmed by a professional camera operator. Soderberg continues:
“We even did some digitization of the camera moves as well, so we had a handheld camera and a professional cameraman to actually do the motion. It really makes a difference; it makes it really feel like a movie.
As much as we can, we will not take the camera away from the player. You’ll be going through the environment and you’ll just experience these cinematic events.”
SOCOM 4 is scheduled for release exclusively on the PS3 this year.
Source: Seattle Times