Gaming News: Cliff Bleszinski leaves Epic Games

It was announced today that Cliff Bleszinski, the creator of both the Unreal engine and the franchise of the same name, Jazz Jackrabbit and the Xbox360 blockbuster franchise, Gears of War, was leaving the studio that he's been a part of for the past 19 years, Epic Games.

It was announced today on the studio's website by the man himself. Mr Bleszinski stated on the reason why for the unexpected leave:

"I've been doing this since I was a teenager, and outside of my sabbatical last year, I have been going non-stop. I literally grew up in this business," Bleszinski said.

He continued "And now that I'm grown up, it's time for a much needed break. I will miss the projects, the playtests, the debates and most of all, the people."


The studio left this statement, "During the past two decades, Cliff has helped shape many successful games that have captured the imaginations of millions of players around the world. We are grateful for his influence on Epic's legacy, from the wild adventures Jazz Jackrabbit to the visceral combat of Gears of War."


The studio/Bleszinski's history:


"Epic Games, Inc. was founded as Epic MegaGames in Rockville, Maryland in 1991. Cliff Bleszinski joined the studio in 1993 and his first two games with them were "Dare to Dream vol. 1: In a Darkened Room, released in 1993 and one of Epic's most beloved but most dorment franchises, Jazz Jackrabbit, released a year later in 1994. In 1999, the company switched it's name to Epic Games, Inc. and also it's location from Maryland to Cary, North Carolina."




This isn't the first time that someone from the studio has left. In fact, he has joined a growing list of former-Epic employees. Earlier this year, Rod Fergusson, the then "director of production" left the studio to join Irrational Games in Boston, Ma and develop BioShock Infinite.

Infinite, the third installment in the BioShock series is slated for release, February 26th, 2013. Also earlier this year, a subsidiary to the studio, the Polish developer "People Can Fly" (BulletStorm, Painkiller) saw it's creative top-bosses leave.

People Can Fly is located in the capital of Poland, Warsaw. They were founded in February 2002 and were acquired by Epic Games in 2007. They're developing the next "Gears" game along with Epic, titled "Gears of War: Judgment" for the xbox360. It's salted for release in March 2013.

Jerry O'Flaherty, former art director for Epic, joined the studio around in 2003. He left them in 2007 and a year later, he was to make his directoral debut with the CGI film "ThunderCats". Sadly, this film was confirmed dead by Warner Bros., the current owners of the rights in 2010.



It's expected that the final game that Mr. Bleszinski will have input in is 2013's Gears of War: Judgment. Epic's newest IP "Fortnite", which was announced at last year's Spike VGAs (Video Game Awards").

Fortnite's release is still slated TBA, it's the company first PC exclusive IP in quite a while and it will be the first game to utilize the studio's new next-gen gaming engine, Unreal 4.

Though we don't know about Mr. Bleszinski's future, it may also sound like that his departure from Epic, is also a "hiatus" from the gaming industry as well. Wether the case, myself and the others here from the broken infinite, wish Cliff a successful future in whatever he decides to do post-Epic Games and a personal thank from me, Jeff Williams, for being one of the many people in the gaming industry, that while growing up, inspired me to become a game designer. So if your reading this Mr. Bleszinski "CliffyB", from the bottom of my heart, Thank You.



For all your gaming news, updates in the industry and in gaming culture, please stay tuned to the broken infinite




What do you guys think ? Leave your comments and thoughts in the comment box below.


Source:


- IGN


- GamingBlot


twitter:


- @therealcliffyb


- @EpicGames


- @IGN


- @GamingBlotTweet




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Darksiders II review!

Developer(s): Vigil Games
Publisher(s): THQ
Platform(s): Playstation3, Xbox 360, Wii U, Windows, Cloud (OnLive)
Genre(s): Action, Hack and Slash
Release: August 14, 2012 (PS3, Xbox 360, Windows), Late 2012 (Wii U)
Rating: Mature

You have not seen the story of the Apocalypse or the Four Horsemen told like this before! Darksiders gave us a vision of the End of Days in a way we could only imagine. The sequel delves further into the game mythos. Darksiders II follows the story of the most feared of the Four Horsemen, Death. The sequel coincides with the storyline of first game but follows what occurred in War’s story. The Charred Council has detained War for bringing about the Apocalypse and wiping out humanity to which War proclaims his innocence. Death, knowing War to be the most noble amongst them, rides to clear his brother’s name and, in turn, restore humanity.

The Pale Rider starts off already on his horse Despair with Scythe in hand as he rides hard into battle. You are thrown to the wolves in this opening tutorial to get you familiarized with Death’s combat mechanics. Let me tell you, the way that Death fights he might as well be called the “Pale Ninja”. The Reaper is far more agile and swifter than his brother War. He comes equipped with two small Scythes that he uses to dispatch enemies with ease. War was more of heavy hitter, exhibiting power rather than speed. Death is a contrast with his speed and agility. However, what really sets him apart from War is how customizable he is. Where War had only a few items and weapons, Death can use a variety of secondary weapons, such as an axe or hammer to deal massive damage, and items, like armor to increase his defense. The enemies you battle drop these materials upon their defeat. Customization in Darksiders II takes a page from RPGs. Outfitting Death with different weapons and armor changes his stats, giving you the freedom to make him into the awesome Harvester of Souls he is known as. Some materials will actually change Death’s appearance.

The world of Darksiders II is far more expansive that in the previous title with bigger environments allowing players more exploration. Since Death has his noble steed Despair with him right from the gate, traversing this open plane is more appreciating than in the first game where this could not be full explored since War is reunited with his horse Ruin late in the game. Graphically, the sequel is just as impressive as its predecessor if not more so. Bigger environment means greater attention to detail and very little was spared here. There are more puzzles and dungeons to solve than before that allow Death to continue his journey so long as he solves them properly, think of an RPG crossed with God of War. The element of side-quests also exists which play on the expression “scratch my back and I scratch yours”. Some NPCs will give Death a special gift or upgrade only if he completes their task whether he likes it or not. Some of these gifts are useful and some are not but all-in-all, the job has to get done.

PRO: Darksiders II takes several pages from other titles. Let’s start with customizing. I’m immediately reminded of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night when I saw the customize screen and how different items change different stats. Even the layout closely resembles SotN. Death can also use items to change his stats. Their effect varies upon the item used and the same goes for Death’s weapons and armor. Like Alucard did with swords, Death uses a variety of Scythes each with their own attributes. As awesome a game as the first Darksiders was, War felt limited in this aspect. He should’ve had a much larger arsenal than what was given to him. Another problem that was corrected was dodging. Death moves like the wind when avoiding enemy attacks AND he can do it mid-strike even with a heavy item. Thank Dante or Kratos for this one. War was pretty quick on his feet too, but his heavy strikes left him open for counters. Another detail in the combat mechanics is the seamless transition between primary and secondary weapons while fighting. Starting a combo with either one and finishing it with the other will lead to variety of attacks including Death combining his two Scythes into one and sending it whirling about, punishing his enemies with multiple strikes.

CON: There aren’t too many complaints about Darksiders II except sometimes the background graphics tend to lag when focusing especially in the forest area. The controls are still a bit lacking when riding on horseback and do not feel as tight as they should be.

OVERALL: Darksiders II is a fast-paced hack and slash, beat ‘em up that falls well into the genre along with games such Ninja Gaiden, God of War and Asura’s Wrath. Death is an amazing character with crazy combat skills, a wicked cool Reaper Form and a mean looking ride. There is so much going on in this game between the puzzle solving and open world exploration that, rest assured, you won’t be bored to…well, you know.

Darksiders II gets 4 scythe slashes out of 5.

See you on the next level! BrianM.