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Wallace and Gromit Game Preview

Posted by Hemos on from the not-even-wensleydale dept.

MBCook writes "Gamers.com has a preview of the game based on the upcoming movie (due in 2005). The preview includes 10 screenshots and some descriptions of game play. The game is expected to be released by the end of the year for the PS2 and the X-Box. The player controls Gromit in an attempt to stop Feathers McGraw from using the inhabitants of the local zoo in his jewel smuggling operations. With levels, like in Sly Cooper, that are designed to be more than a 2D platformer on rails, this looks like a game to look forward to." I've got patent pending on that!

97 comments

  1. Mmmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Porridge today Grommit, Tuesday!

    1. Re:Mmmmm by Textbook+Error · · Score: 1

      Cracking Toast, Grommit!

      --

      Nae bother
  2. Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The game, which is based on the movie, is coming out the end of 2003, but the movie isn't being released until 2005? Does it really take that long to do those stop animation films?

    1. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      In a word, yes. Actually doing the stop animation is time-consuming enough, but the amount of time required to make all the models is tremendous. Think whole years of work for a couple of good stop-animation models. So if this movie takes alot of time to make, do not be surprised.

    2. Re:Huh? by Dr.Enormous · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Consider a live movie: you get the actors in place for a shot, and then they do it while the camera rolls.

      Now stop motion: You get the "actors" in place for the shot, then you take a frame or three, then move them a little, then another couple frames, then move them a little. And consider that each frame--even if it gets used--is a small fraction of a second. If you want to do it well, it takes time.

    3. Re:Huh? by EvilOpie · · Score: 1

      I have heard that when working along at a good pace, it is possible to create up to around 3 to 5 seconds of stop motion film in a day.

      Now when you think about how long a typical film is...

      --
      -Through the server, over the router, off the firewall... Nothing but 'Net!
    4. Re:Huh? by why-is-it · · Score: 4, Informative

      The game, which is based on the movie, is coming out the end of 2003, but the movie isn't being released until 2005? Does it really take that long to do those stop animation films?

      Abolutely! In one of the interviews on the Chicken Run DVD (also by Nick Park / Aardman) it took over 18 months to film the sequence that took place inside the chiken pie making machine, and that segment was only a few minutes long.

      Typically, the amount of footage an animator can generate in a day is measured in seconds...

      --
      *** Where are we going? And what's with this handbasket?
    5. Re:Huh? by Mr.+Bad+Example · · Score: 4, Funny

      Cracking post, Gromit.

      (IE? It's the wrong browser, Gromit! And it's gone wrong!)

    6. Re:Huh? by insanecarbonbasedlif · · Score: 1

      The crackers, Gromit, the crackers!!! We forgot the crackers!

      --
      Just because I doubt myself does not mean I find your position compelling.
    7. Re:Huh? by SquadBoy · · Score: 1

      I heard once that a second a week is pretty good. Don't know how true that is but it sounds right.

      --

      Cypherpunks: Civil Liberty Through Complex Mathematics. Those who live by the sword die by the arrow.
    8. Re:Huh? by tsa · · Score: 1

      A 90 min. film would then take 90*60 = 5400 weeks to make. By the time you are at the end of the movie you cannot use the frames you shot in the very beginning any more because:
      a) you are dead
      b) the film has rotted away
      c) in case you recorded digitally: the equipment you used back then is not available anymore and you have to reverse-engineer it, which of course is illegal because of the DMCA :-)

      --

      -- Cheers!

    9. Re:Huh? by Pseudonym · · Score: 1

      Yes. Some have mentioned some reasons for this. I'll mention a one more.

      Warning: long rambling post follows.

      Like software development, animated filmmaking goes through a "pipeline", which is different for each animation medium. Also like software development, fixing problems earlier in the pipeline is much cheaper than fixing it later. So, for example, fixing an issue on the storyboards is going to be much cheaper than re-animating it.

      The specific problem with 3D puppet animation is that fixing problems late in the process is even more expensive than in other kinds of animation.

      Take traditional 2D animation, for example. The pipeline looks something like this:

      • Story (i.e. script and storyboards)
      • Layout (camera placement and staging)
      • Key animation
      • Breakdown/inbetweening
      • Clean-up
      • Ink & paint

      At each stage after storyboarding, the work in progress is "filmed" and, when accepted by the supervisor of whoever is doing it, edited into the film. This is a very important part of the process because it ensures that everything is on the right track. You can usually work out from the key animation "pencil tests" if there are problems in the timing, for example. Then you only need to redo that, then go on to the next phase. If something does need to be fixed, you can often do that by redoing only those drawings that have problems.

      The process of testing, redoing and re-testing is inherent in traditional animation. It's very similar with 3D computer animation, too. Everyone has a workstation with OpenGL hardware, so they can watch the action without going through the full render pipeline to see if it works or not. Once they've got it right, they can use that and go onto the next stage.

      3D puppet animation is the "hardest" kind of animation from the perspective of testing. Naturally a lot of work goes into pre-visualisation in order to iron out problems early. The animators film themselves going through the pantomime actions in order to work out timing and so on. Computer graphics are used to rehearse camera movements on virtual 3D sets. Once you're done with that, though, it comes down to a physical 3D set with physical lights and physical puppets. If a problem is found here, you can't fix a few drawings and re-paint, or fix a few keyframes and re-render. You may be able to animate some other element and digitally composite it into the final plates, but in general, you have to redo the entire shot.

      To complicate things further, in 3D puppet animation, you generally have to shoot the shot from start to finish. Traditional animators (and computer animators) can start with keys in the middle if they want. When you're animating dialogue, you often start with the most emphasised syllable in the line, for example. So you'd better make sure that you start any secondary actions which need to happen early otherwise you need to start all over again.

      Of course "it's hard" isn't really an excuse. Good animators should be able to do all this. The trouble is that good animators are hard to find. Film schools don't teach what Aardman has had to find out over the last 20 years by trial and error. Chicken Run only had something like six key animators who were good enough to do the job and as such only had six sets filming concurrently. In feature animation terms, that's a very small amount of concurrency.

      Hence it takes a while.

      --
      sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f(q{sub f{($f)=@_;print"$f(q{$f});";}f});
  3. Patent Pending by telstar · · Score: 4, Funny
    "I've got patent pending on that!"
    • You, and Amazon...
    1. Re:Patent Pending by worst_name_ever · · Score: 0
      ...hence why I initially read it as:

      Posted by Bezos on Friday March 21, @07:01AM

      --

      In Soviet Rush, today's Tom Sawyer gets high on you.
  4. Microsoft FUD!!! by kruetz · · Score: 4, Funny

    The penguin [Feathers McGraw] is EVIL! Is this mere coincidence, or Microsoft propaganda, given that the game will be available on the X-Box? In fact, I'm sure that Aardman Animation is really an off-shoot of MS, attempting to derive some sort of profit on the X-Box while at the same time sending subliminal messages to gamers across the world, convincing them that Penguins, Linux and OperSource is bad. Also, is it just coincidence the Gromit looks kinda like that dog that was one of the ill-fated MS Office Assistants from wayback? Smells kinda fishy to me...

    (Disclaimer: I'm heavily drunk and about to go to bed. It makes sense to me NOW, but so do a lot of other things which I won't mention...

    BTW, I hope it is Aardman Animation that I'm thinking of, or I'll get modded down for being factually incorrect... woah! Almost had myself fooled there!)

    --

    This sig intentionally left bla... dammit!
    Who's got the whiteout?
    1. Re:Microsoft FUD!!! by BlueArchon · · Score: 1

      Not really... I saw once a interview with the creator Nick Park talking about "the wrong trousers" where the evil penguin first appears. He said that a penguin was easy to make look mysterious and evil because it's so expressionless. Only glary, black, small eyes.

  5. could someone please explain, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Will there be a Windows version? No way I'm buying a consol for just one game

  6. I see another OMM Rune Review coming... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Does the entire game take place in a dark cave? Where is the brightness that you normally see in the in show.

    Also, I hope the game graphics will be a little more polished by the time they release it. It would be nice if the game had the same clay-mation look and feel.

  7. the 10 screenshots by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful


    Wow, they are low on polys. The terrain
    looks like a square-edge fest!

    1. Re:the 10 screenshots by knowledgepeacewi · · Score: 2, Funny

      you try doing polygons in claymation!

    2. Re:the 10 screenshots by llauren · · Score: 1

      I think Gromit looks really good, but the surroundings made me think "uh, Gromit Goes Half Mesa"... and i don't even play Half-Life (i don't need to -- i have a real life ;)

      • ~llaurén
  8. Not just screenshots by Gax · · Score: 1

    Game footage has been shown on UK TV on several occasions. I think it was also on the Daily Mail Wallace & Gromit DVD. The game looks like a standard 3D platformer. Though I have the pencil sharpener, I doubt I will be buying the game.

  9. Cheese by SnuSnu · · Score: 2, Funny

    At long last, a game with realistically rendered Wensleydale!

  10. Wensleydale by SnuSnu · · Score: 3, Funny

    At long last, a game guaranteed to feature realistically rendered cheese! Let the French rejoice!

    1. Re:Wensleydale by kvn299 · · Score: 1

      Although there does appear to be a French connection, Wensleydale appears to be an English product. I could be wrong, though.

      Link

    2. Re:Wensleydale by MyGirlFriendsBroken · · Score: 2, Informative

      I could be wrong, though.

      No, Wensleydale is an English product and can only be manufactured in Wensleydale, Yorkshire. This is due to some sort of advertising law or something and aplies to most cheeses in the UK (which use place names) except for Chedder and Red Leiecter I think?.

      --
      If you read a speed reading book, does it take you less time to read the second half?
  11. No GameCube version? by tuxedobob · · Score: 1

    Is the GameCube really that abysmal that it can't handle a platform game?

    On the other hand... Animal Crossing, new Zelda, pre-rendered shadows in Mario Party, hmmm....

    1. Re:No GameCube version? by iainl · · Score: 5, Interesting

      "Is the GameCube really that abysmal that it can't handle a platform game?"

      Probably more like "Does the XBox not have anything to compete with our new platformer?"

      The GameCube has Sunshine, and Wario (plus rumours of Mario 128) on its way. The PS2 has Jak 'n' Daxter (considered by some to be better than Sunshine, even). The XBox has Blinx. I know where I'd release my platform title...

      --
      "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
    2. Re:No GameCube version? by 13Echo · · Score: 2, Informative

      There are even more platformers on the Gamecube than that. The Sonic games have been/are ported. The Harry Potter game is loads of fun. Luigi's Mansion was a Launch title. A Kirby game is on the way. A Pitfall game is in the works.

      I'm willing to bet that it has more platformers than even the PS2.

    3. Re:No GameCube version? by Kirby-meister · · Score: 1

      What's funny is that the PS2 already has a huge assortment of platformers to its library. Nintendo, of course, has the golden series, Mario. A developer making a great platformer for the Xbox could potentially clean house with less competition. And since Zelda is coming out in a week, I am guessing comapanies might be holding back their GC products so they do not compete with the game that has gotten more presales than even Vice City ever did (food for thought: The Wind Wakers has presold 560,000+ units and it hasn't even been released yet - already a best seller).

    4. Re:No GameCube version? by tuxedobob · · Score: 1

      Okay, was it just me, or could no one else figure out how to use that vacuum thing? I am able to play Sunshine, though.

    5. Re:No GameCube version? by tuxedobob · · Score: 1

      As long as I'm here, I just want to point out that Jak 'n' Daxter is not the original for all these "knockoffs", like Vexx. The original 3D platform game is, I think, Super Mario 64.

      Good point, though.

    6. Re:No GameCube version? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I know where I'd release my platform title...

      yup, me too: the gcn. why bother make a game for the xbox when platformers don't sell on it? gamecube and ps2 are the best for platformers and are guaranteed sales...

    7. Re:No GameCube version? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      sounds like u played the game for 5 minutes in walmart...

    8. Re:No GameCube version? by clontzman · · Score: 1

      That number's a bit skewed though -- all of the preorders were $15 copies of the OoT disc. Most of the copies of The Wind Waker haven't been paid for yet, and it's not inconceivable that any number of those preorders won't get bought.

      Not saying it won't be a best-seller or that it's not worthy of it; it's just not what you'd call a typical preorder situation since the "preorder" entailed buying a $15 game, which a lot of people probably did regardless of their intent to actually procure TWW.

    9. Re:No GameCube version? by iainl · · Score: 1

      Sorry if I gave the impression I thought that; I merely didn't mention the mighty M64 (still the greatest game ever released) because the 64 isn't a current system. Technically, there was a bizarre launch title on the Playstation that was a first-person platformer, though it was so uncontrollable that no-one remembers it (something about a rabbit, if memory serves). Of course, if you want to get really clever, its all just Knight Lore or Ant Attack with a fancy camera in any case. :-)

      After all, I didn't mention Sonic Adventure either (which adds to the argument about the GC platform market being crowded) because I forgot it came out on anything other than DC - oops.

      --
      "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
    10. Re:No GameCube version? by tuxedobob · · Score: 1

      No, you didn't. But I've heard it before. So I figured as long as I was on the topic...

  12. destructive by Boromir+son+of+Faram · · Score: 4, Funny

    I was shocked and disappointed to hear that the Wallace and Gromit cartoons will be hitting both the silver screen and the console in the next few years. That the cartoons seemed to have fallen out of favor was some consolation for their initial popularity.

    The Wallace and Gromit shorts promote a world-view centered around materialism and hedonism. The characters are motivated by idle pleasure and selfishness, and the absurdity and pessimism of their "adventures" encourage existential angst in young, impressionable minds.

    That there has been no public outcry against these cartoons, and rather they seem to be enjoying a resurgance in popularity, speaks to the moral bankruptcy of contemporary Western society.

    --

    Boromir, son of Faramir, King of Gondor and Minas Tirith
    1. Re:destructive by knowledgepeacewi · · Score: 1

      chill Boromir, just because you did that dying thing in the first movie doesn't mean you have to crap on everyone elses claymation. (Yes sarcasm, understood)

    2. Re:destructive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And while we're at it, Boromir was Faramir's elder brother, not his son!

      End pedantry.

    3. Re:destructive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And Faramir was not king of Gondor.. Their father was Steward of Gondor. Foolish mortals.

  13. Grommit predates office dog! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Wallace and Grommit offical site

    better looking than the developers site which truly looks like the car mechanic's car

    The first wallace and grommit was "a grand day out" about an adventure they went on to get more cheese. Where is the biggest supply of cheese? Hence all the cheese jokes, dear moderators. This came out in 1991, so it is more likely that Microsoft stole the dog image from aardman than vice versa.

    My favourite penguin has always been Opus. And did not the original evil pengiun from Batman, predate Linux? Linux was also created in 1991 another coincidence?

    Like all things, some penguins are good and some are not.

    1. Re:Grommit predates office dog! by croddy · · Score: 1
      the penguin was created by larry ewing
      http://old.lwn.net/Gallery/

      he used GIMP 0.54
      http://www.isc.tamu.edu/~lewing/linux/notes.html

      which was released ca.1996
      http://gimp-savvy.com/BOOK/index.html?node14.htm l

      therefore it follows that feathers mcgraw predates the linux penguin. QED

  14. 2D games by pubjames · · Score: 0, Offtopic


    Is it only me that morns the demise of 2D games? 2D platform games and "shoot-em-ups" rocked, and with more powerful computers these days I'm sure that amazing things could be done with them.

    Does anyone know of some good 2D shoot-em-ups or platform games that have been released within the last few years?

    1. Re:2D games by pubjames · · Score: 1

      Does anyone know of some good 2D shoot-em-ups or platform games that have been released within the last few years?

      Answering myself...

      I thought that Chicken Invaders was great fun, if a little too quick to complete. A simple "shoot-em-up" with great game play.

    2. Re:2D games by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Einhander by Squaresoft. Good luck getting a secondhand copy. Same with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night by Konami. Both are PS1 games.

    3. Re:2D games by BShive · · Score: 1

      2D platformers (and 2D in general) don't sell well anymore unless it's on more limited hardware (GBA, mobile devices, etc). Most of the game buyers expect something in 3D, even if it might look and play worse than something executed very well in 2D.

    4. Re:2D games by iainl · · Score: 1

      There are a metric tonne of great 2D games for the GBA, for a start, due to its lack of 3D hardware; that would be my first recommendation.

      Elsewhere, there are the following Shooters:
      The mighty "Ikaruga". Tell me you have this, please. It even sees a Western release on GC soon, if you didn't get the original Japanese DC release.
      Shikigami No Shiro. You'd need to import, but its apparently pretty great.
      Mars Matrix (DC game that even made it to the US) is tough but fair

      There are new sequels to R-Type and Gradius on their way to PS2 as well, along with (if we're really lucky) a western release of the new DoDonPachi sequel.

      For platformers, you're pretty stuck to GBA or Retro titles, however.

      --
      "I Know You Are But What Am I?"
    5. Re:2D games by coke_dite · · Score: 1
      While Sly Cooper isn't a 2d platform game, it does have several levels which ARE 2d platform :) It was a bit of an unexpected twist, I'll admit, but it was REALLY neat! Definitely one of the features that made this game completely addictive.

      --
      Visit us at http://www.iblist.com!
    6. Re:2D games by pubjames · · Score: 1

      There are a metric tonne of great 2D games for the GBA, for a start,

      I got a GBA, but I guess I must be getting old. Playing games on a tiny screen with fiddly buttons just doesn't do it for me any more.

      The other games sound very interesting though. Thanks.

    7. Re:2D games by FyRE666 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Download MAME, then download the Metal Slug series (1,2,X and 3) for good platformers. There are loads of shoot-em-ups too from a couple of years back. Big downloads though - Metal Slug 3 is around 78MB. I love the 2D platform games as someone else mentioned, you can get plenty for mobile phones now (a friend of mine recently finished the old platformer Manic Miner for phones - it uses the graphics from the GBA version) ...

      --
      Code, Hardware, stuff like that.
  15. penguins can't possibly be evil... by obli · · Score: 1

    I really hate it when they release games I really liked the prewiews on only for consoles.

  16. a question for all you 3d developers out there by smylie · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I notice that in the screen shots of, (for example), the tractor, the wheels are not round but rather a 13-sided semi-circle shaped object.

    Is it still too computationally expensive to draw a proper 3D circle in a game like this using todays hardware?

    I realise a "true" circle is probably impossible/impractical, but even a 50-sided circle would probably be enough to fool the eye. Or would this have such a negative effective on FPS that it wouldn't be worth it?

    1. Re:a question for all you 3d developers out there by BShive · · Score: 3, Informative

      In game models usually have to be under 'X' number of polygons for performance. The polys spent on going from 13 to 50 sides would probably mean making something else look less pretty. It's still all a question of what tradeoffs you want to make even with current hardware.

    2. Re:a question for all you 3d developers out there by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you do z-buffering for hidden surface removal (I surmise that's what just about everyone does these days), drawing circles (or rather, ellipses on the screen plane) isn't that hard. Some people already did that on Amigas... with a 7.14 MHz processor. Nowadays, the only problem is that what primitives can be drawn is limited by hardware, and the hardware provides only for polygons. I suppose the 3D hardware makers don't feel that circles improve the experience enough to be worth supporting an additional primitive type, with the additional design complexity that would entail.

    3. Re:a question for all you 3d developers out there by BillGodfrey · · Score: 1

      They are using the Thargoid objects left over from the Elite project.

  17. Sonic-alike? by BShive · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Just me, or does the seventh screenshot look like a sonic game with the collected nuts being dropped like sonic's coins?

    Suprised that they're also publishing screenshots that have obvious glitches in em' too.

    1. Re:Sonic-alike? by Fulcrum+of+Evil · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Suprised that they're also publishing screenshots that have obvious glitches in em' too.

      Well, it does have another year or so of development left.

      --
      "We returned the General to El Salvador, or maybe Guatemala, it's difficult to tell from 10,000 feet"
  18. It would be nice if someone would mirror the site by kelzer · · Score: 1

    . . . not because of the Slashdot effect, but because of the SurfControl effect - my corporate filtering software is blocking access to the gamers.com domain.

    I just don't get it. Isn't it obvious that Wallace and Gromit are work-related?

    --

    ---------------------------------------------
    SERENITY NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  19. What about Wallace and Ladmo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And Gerald? Gerald rules.

  20. I too mourn! by squaretorus · · Score: 1

    The 2D game kicks ass. Especially racing games, shooting games, platformers (Sonic!) and puzzlers. Now the territory of handhelds Im afraid.

    It was the simplicity that made them so good really - quite a lot of people that were addicted to the old Atari systems dropped away when things started to look more complex - like Sonic. The paralax, being able to run behind things, etc... cluttered the purity that you got from a game like Qbert or Centipede.

    But I agree - a truly visually original and entertaining centipede would kick ass! No zooming, no moving camera, just a fixed viewpoint on the 'garden' and a bunch of good looking things to shoot at.

    Someone should hide Jeff Minters stash for long enough for him to write one - then give it back in time to put in those 'finishing touches'!

  21. Watch Wallace & Gromit clips online by Mr.+Fusion · · Score: 3, Informative
    ./'ed already? Looks like Gromit needs to brush up on managing server loads. "It's the wrong

    While you're waiting for it to go back up, check out Wallace & Gromit's Crackling Contraptions, especially if you've never seen any of the duo's shorts before. (Beware, AtomFilms only use the Windows Media Player format now.)

    Wallace and Gromit also have an official site, available from the Aardman Animation site. -Mr. Fusion

    1. Re:Watch Wallace & Gromit clips online by labratuk · · Score: 2, Informative

      (Beware, AtomFilms only use the Windows Media Player format now.)

      No Problemo...

      --
      Malike Bamiyi wanted my assistance.
  22. Heh by Skreech · · Score: 2, Funny

    Cracking toast, Grommit!

  23. Re:In the immortal words of Company Flow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    well, I was going to mod you down, but there isn't a "-1, incomprehensible" mod

  24. Will it push the XBox? by Malc · · Score: 1

    The site seems to be /.ed. Will this be another game that caters to the lowest common denominator, or will it actually push the XBox? It seems there are a lot of games that are a disappointment on the XBox in so much as they're just simple PS2 ports.

    1. Re:Will it push the XBox? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      get used to it. the xbox lacks developer support. it is the modern equivalent of the n64 in that way. they have 3 big titles, halo (clone of every 3d shooter out there), mgs (same game, yawn), splinter cell (coming to other platforms very soon) and a handful of others that we've seen before.

      why bother make stuff for it? sure people are buying xboxes. they make a great cheap media and dvd player. they make for an interesting dmca circumvention project. they don't make for a good gaming platform. nobody makes any exclusive games that are convincing enough to buy games for it. until then, i'll take a gcn or ps2 anyday over the xbox...

  25. Yes it is suspicious... by nanojath · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I mean, "Wallace and Gromit... have to free 24 levels worth of imprisoned baby animals..." and yet no GameCube version?

    --

    It Is the Nature of Information to Transgress Artificial Boundaries

  26. Frontier Developments by VVrath · · Score: 1

    I can't believe no-one's yet commented on this game being made by Frontier Developments. You know, David Braben and Co, the guys who brought us Frontier: Elite II and First Encounters. I can't be the only one with fond memories of touring the galaxy in my Cobra Mark III...

    Bit of change of pace for them, but I hope it makes a ton of money, if only so they can finance the development of Elite 4 (which is probably an even bigger piece of vapour-ware than Duke Nukem Forever.

    VVrath

    1. Re:Frontier Developments by Gleng · · Score: 1

      Jesus, how long have we been waiting for Elite 4?

      The only thing that keeps me going is still being able to play First Encounters, and the fact that they still have a link to some Elite 4 stuff on their site.

      --
      "Proudly Posting Without Reading The Article"
  27. Yes, for GameCube by BrerBear · · Score: 3, Informative

    I don't know why the gamers.com site seems to miss this point, but according to the BAM website for the game it is also being published for the GameCube.

    It's also listed on Nintendo's master game list under "W".

    1. Re:Yes, for GameCube by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      because /., like many tech sites, are part of a large conspiracy against nintendo. ps2 and xbox have put gamers into a mindless daze. specifically the viral marketing campaigns used by sony and microsoft...

  28. Surprised Hollywood green-lighted long-term projec by GuyMannDude · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The game, which is based on the movie, is coming out the end of 2003, but the movie isn't being released until 2005? Does it really take that long to do those stop animation films?

    As the others have pointed out, this is entirely believable. What really gives me pause to think is that Hollywood was actually interested in such a long-term project! Does anyone know how long it takes to make a traditional animated film? A computer-animated film? How about a live action film? I would guess that in these cases it would take less time. So I'm surprised that Hollywood was willing to look at something that takes multiple years to create. The only thing I can think of is that maybe this stop-motion claymation actually costs less money to make because of the low level of technology. I don't know.

    Maybe I'm completely out of touch with how Hollywood does business but I'm surprised that they were willing to invest in a film that wouldn't see the light of day until 2005.

    GMD

    --
    watch this
  29. Clay by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Too bad this game is rendered and not claymation ala The Neverhood.

  30. Bam goes boom by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Let's hope that they get paid for making the game:

    Bam fucked over a load of companies in the companies in the UK by commisioning projects and then refusing to pay for them. The companies went bankrupt and didn't have enough money to sue Bam.

    http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?sect ion_name=pub&aid=204

    Let's also hope that Bam doesn't become bankrupt before the game ships - they've been losing cash ever since they started and are now running out of cash to run the company. It'd be slightly surprising if they can stay alive till quarter4 when this game is meant to ship.

    http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?sect ion_name=pub&aid=944

  31. Won't have that charm by ianscot · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Wallace and Gromit is all about the claymation look, the pacing, and the cinematic feel of the whole thing. Judging by these screen shots, I'm not seeing any of that.

    Think of Feathers McGraw, the penguin, in the animated short -- he had no facial expression at all, but they made him sinister just by letting the camera linger an extra split second on that blank face, you know? How do you catch that feeling in a game? Cut scenes before you go to the standard-platform-jumper play? What-ever.

    Kind of sad. They'd make a better game by having Wallace build his whacked-out inventions to overcome various obstacles, wouldn't they?

    --
    "Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
  32. Re:Surprised Hollywood green-lighted long-term pro by j-b0y · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I guess there's a few reasons why Hollywood would want to do this a Wallace and Gromit film:

    • Cheap. The fixed cost is pretty low, and the keeping the animators supplied with clay and film is a lot less expensive than top-earning actors/actresses, huge sfx sequences, expensive sound sets and location shooting.
    • No egos. Nick Park is is one of the most self-effacing multi-Oscar winners you can find. Peter Sallis is not going to throw a fit because his trailer only has one jacuzzi.
    • Infinite Merchandising. The BBC has been (for a state-run organisation) extremely effective at the merchandising thing. And the merchandising opportunities are directly proportional to the imagination of the creators

    I was worried about Chicken Run, as I thought the combination of Mel Gibson and Disney was going to overwhelm the charm and subtlety (and, let's face it, Englishness) of Aardvark's films. As it turned out, Gibson seemed to understand and was completely cool with the Aardvark style; Disney knew when to butt out. Brownie points all round.
    --
    Please remain calm, there is no reason to pani... wait, where are you all going?
  33. I hate consoles! by CheesyMoo · · Score: 0

    I hate consoles. But I love Wallace and Gromit, I'll probably just watch the movie, have crackers and cheese, then fall out of bed onto the breakfast table.

  34. Re:Lineage by Ragnar+Forkbeard · · Score: 1

    Faramir and Eowyn had a son named Boromir.

    Perhaps the parent poster should put this in his journal or .sig or something...

    --
    "America is - without a doubt - the most bizarrre culture this planet has ever produced." --James Lileks
  35. SpongeBob is funnier... by Alan+Holman · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Yeah, Wallace and Gromit was a technical achievement for claymation, but SpongeBob's funnier... We should see more Slashdot stories about SpongeBob, like about that cartoon on Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago -- that was funny.

  36. Check it out... by UrGeek · · Score: 1

    ...i discovered Wemsleydale cheese and it is WONDERFUL! No wonder Wallace loves it so much. Especially the kind my peeps at the Wheatsville Co-op is Austin, Texas get - it has cranberries in it.

    Don't look for it until the middle of next week, though - I just ate the last one. It spoils quicker than most cheese so it is harder to keep in inventory.

    [burp]

    I wonder if a food co-op can get slashdotted? And I don't work for them, just enjoy them - just like High Criteria! Honest, I swear!

  37. Re:Surprised Hollywood green-lighted long-term pro by nyquil · · Score: 1

    correct me if i'm wrong, but i think it is Aardman, not Ardvark

  38. Frontier Development by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Frontier Development are the programmers, yes, the legendary David Braben! I have been following this on off, mainly off, on a few NNTP feeds.

    Hopefully Elite 4 is on its merry little way!

    Hurrah! Support Frontier Developments! Buy this game!

    Thanks

  39. Last Post! by alpg · · Score: 0

    ...very few phenomena can pull someone out of Deep Hack Mode, with two
    noted exceptions: being struck by lightning, or worse, your *computer*
    being struck by lightning.
    -- Matt Welsh

    - this post brought to you by the Automated Last Post Generator...