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    The Indie Scene | Zen Studios

    on 16.08.2006 at 16:03 User Icon Posted by Mike Mason (Mason) Number of Comments Comments: 16 Number of Reads Reads: 28868
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    Mike Mason :: Tuesday 15th August 2006

    Nintendo claims that all developers, big and small, will be able to develop for its next generation console, Wii and its current generation handheld, Nintendo DS. Despite this promise, though, the process of getting a game out isn't quite as simple for the smaller, independent developers as we might like to think. 'The Indie Scene' aims to spread the word about independently developed games and help out the people behind them, who can be just as passionate about making games as the big guys, if not more so.

    Zen Studios :: Flipper Critters

    Zen Studios are the subject of the third issue of The Indie Scene after its extensive, and unintentional, break. Formerly known as Rubik Interactive, they are a company that specialises in multimedia and game technology and game development based in the Budapest, Hungary, at the heart of Europe. The studio was formed in 2000 by a number of experienced industry veterans who grew tired of the direction the industry was going and so decided to do their bit to keep it fresh, by vowing to create innovative new games of the arcade, strategy and action genres for PC and consoles.

    As you may have guessed by their appearance in this feature, Zen is entirely independent, which allows them to be as unique and creative as they like. As well as being one of the few developers in Central Europe to have full licences to develop for Playstation 2, Playstation Portable, Xbox and, last but certainly not least, Nintendo DS, Zen also create technologies for use in game creation. One such piece of technology is the PX Engine, an engine for the DS that is somewhat of an industry leader. The benefits of it above other engines? It is capable of high-end real-time rendering with superior texture mapping, lighting and sound, sophisticated physics and a host of other features, and it can, handily, be actively used throughout all areas of DS game development, from start to finish. With the PX Engine, Zen’s aim is to get the most of the Nintendo DS and push the handheld to previously unthought-of limits.

    Rather than focusing all their attention on one territory, Zen use design resources from America as well as Europe, in order to give their titles world-class support. Ideas and graphics might come from both sides of the Pacific, but all main development takes place in the Central European headquarters. The previously mentioned 18 team members are not all highly experienced, though - while there are some, including the founders of the studio, they mix with a wealth of younger talents who make up for their relative lack of experience with pure enthusiasm and willing to learn. By blending these two groups, it is presumably hoped that qualities will rub off in either direction, to enrich the studio and its developments.

    As an independent developer who state that they harbour competitive rates for development, can Zen really be the company of choice for publishers to work with? Hopefully, with aims of creating unique titles for universal audiences that will transform gamers’ ideals and expectations of the gaming world, the answer points towards ‘yes’.

    The artists formerly known as Rubik Interactive’s first foray into the world of Nintendo DS is Flipper Critters, a pinball game set in the world of animals (as you may or may not have guessed by the combination of words in the title). Don’t let the pinball moniker pigeonhole the game in your mind though, as Zen want to create a title that transcends all typicality currently in the pinball genre. While some of the basics are there, the plan is to throw out some typical conventions of the genre and replace it with something totally different.

    Convention number one out of the window: no longer are you a faceless character controlling a metal ball. Instead, the game features the surprisingly tiger-like Gawain ‘Tiger’ Chesterton and his sidekick Bubba ‘Monkey’ McManus - a big animal sticker for you if you manage to guess his species. These aren’t the only ‘people’ you’ll be coming into contact with either, with others including an agoraphobic sorceress who coops herself up in her castle, bulls that insist upon trying to wear lace lingerie (interesting...) and a balloon salesman who has a tendency to get depressed - which might have something to do with the porcupine-like form he takes. Why does a pinball game need characters in it, though, much less more than one?

    This brings us around to another convention-breaker nicely. Rather than just sticking to a pinball table, the game encourages players to undertake missions set by the various creatures that inhabit the land. These missions take the form of arcade-style mini-games that make use of all the features of the DS (though not all at the same time), including the traditional button controls, the touch screen and the microphone. Access to the games is through different parts of the pinball tables, and different tables can be seamlessly reached within tables, too. These missions must be accomplished to continue on throughout the game, but rather than being totally rigid and restrictive, the games can be completed in any order that the player deems, meaning that the play experience can vary between each go and the overall order and feeling of the game will always be different for each gamer. It is this quality that hopes to move the game towards being universal, so that each player can pick it up and get a different feeling from it to the next - while it not might be as free as the likes of, say, Electroplankton in variation between each play, it’s certainly on the way to creating a unique title that will have gamers discussing what’s going on in their game.

    Do you know of any worthy independent games in development for Nintendo platforms, whether they be for their handhelds or consoles? Let us know via Mason and we’ll see if we can cover them!


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    The advantage here in Europe is that at least Metroid Prime Pinball has not been released. And as for the US and Japan (must be going to the States, surely - but don't know about Japan), MPP has been out for AGES now...so the market's clear for them!

    Great work Mike...I look forward to seeing how the game does in the UK Charts! Smilie

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    on 15.08.2006 at 21:09
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    Good article. Flipper Critters sounds interesting. I'll try to pick it up if I have the spare cash.

    And Mason, I think you should watch celisphere a bit. Right now there's hardly anything to cover, but on their site they said they'll be updating it more and that they've been working on their game Dark Reflections: Chronicles almost exclusively since their last update (around Christmas). I want to say it's either coming out for GBA or DS, but that's only from memory (the site only says TBA). Cerulean Dreams, one of their other projects, is supposed to be coming out to DS if nothing changes.

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    on 15.08.2006 at 21:20
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    Flipper critters sounds like a real spin to a pinball game and nice article Mason, you really do a good job of putting words together.
    Silence is the loudest noise we could possibly hear.
    on 15.08.2006 at 21:26
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    i am interested in flipper criters an di hope it does well. i may pick it up. its good to know that an indie dev has the ability to develop top ds engines and i hope they look to licence these to help support themselves. from the sounds of it a shooter is on the way and i for one look forward to more news on that front.

    nice article too. cant wait for the next indie scene article.
    on 15.08.2006 at 21:28
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    Excellent article Mike, I'm liking Flipper Critters, it looks like a really fun way of playing - I loved the visuals when I first laid eyes on that video that circled net.

    Good stuff Smilie
    on 15.08.2006 at 23:17
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    Thanks for your comments - it's been a long time coming, this one, so I'm sorry I had to keep you waiting. Information is a bit scarce and I've had trouble keeping in touch with the developers at times due to all the rushing about of E3 earlier this year, as well as the fact they were coming up to the end of the development cycle. Still, all seems to have worked out in the end, and in time for the release as well.

    TAG, thanks very much for the link and info, I'll definitely have a look into them for a future issue. Smilie
    on 15.08.2006 at 23:26
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    Be sure to check out the movie on their web site:

    http://www.flippercritters.com/media.html

    If it isn't released in the United States I'm going to order it from Amazon UK.

    ( Edited on 16.08.2006 03:44 by Sancroff )

    on 16.08.2006 at 02:22
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    Sancroff said:
    Be sure to check out the movie on their web site:http://www.flippercritters.com/media.htmlIf it isnt released in the United States Im going to order it from Amazon UK.


    Seen that movie, it looks great! Loving the style and presentation Smilie
    on 16.08.2006 at 02:24
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    Sancroff said:
    Be sure to check out the movie on their web site:http://www.flippercritters.com/media.html


    Yeah, I've had the movie on my hard drive for months, love it. Smilie

    ( Edited on 16.08.2006 13:31 by Mason )

    on 16.08.2006 at 12:26
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    They really seem to have revolutionised the pinball genre with these different sections in the pinball maps, making the playing field wider and adding, as you said, a bit of tactics in the game.
    One thing that worries me though is the fact that in the footage on the official site there seems to be going on too much on two screens at the same time; for example, you hit the ball in the lower screen and it's locked in some sort of thingy, then some animation plays on the upper screen, text appears but before you're able to finish reading it, the ball is released from the lock on the lower screen.

    on 16.08.2006 at 16:36
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    It does look a bit confusing in parts, I agree, but I'm hoping that it's something that you just have to play that feels alright once you get your hands on it.
    on 16.08.2006 at 16:41
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    It certainly looks a bit more interesting than that Mario Pinball game on the GBA.

    Smilie
    on 16.08.2006 at 17:00
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    I dunno how I've never heard of them before. That Flipper Critters game looks pretty damn good. Should definately be getting a purchase if I have the money

    ( Edited on 17.08.2006 13:34 by Megadanxzero )

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    on 16.08.2006 at 20:40
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    By the way, for those that don't know...it's been confirmed for a US release as well. Gamespot was recently sent the updated US boxart Smilie

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    on 17.08.2006 at 06:02
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    Glad I seem to have alerted a few people to its presence and gained them a few extra potential sales...Smilie
    on 17.08.2006 at 10:14
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