NHL 2K7 Adopts Cinemotion
Who wha huh? Yep, better read more to find out what we're on about with this one.
Published: August 17, 2006
For a couple months now 2K Sports has been coy about exactly what they're adding to NHL 2K7, eagerly trotting out new engine enhancements, the soundtrack by Sub Pop records and the cover man. Each release of info has been minor, but they've started to stack up -- and there's been promise of more.
Apparently, more equals something called Cinemotion. In the world of sports sims, everything must be branded, and Cinemotion is really just a fancy term for all the cinematic techniques that developer Visual Concepts (now the name fits) has been working on. Specifically, they're targeting next-gen systems here -- or at the very least relying on the widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio that systems like the PlayStation 3 and the HDTVs that they're pumping the signal out to.
"With all of our 2K Sports products, we're always looking for new ways to enhance and revolutionize the sports video game experience," begins Greg Thomas, president of Visual Concepts. "With Cinemotion, we have been able to really take this experience to the next level. Cinemotion creates a completely customizable atmosphere for gamers, introducing several different ways of playing the game in terms of gameplay cameras and music, in addition to other dramatic elements."
In more precise terms, Cinemotion attempts a more broadcast-style presentation. The camera will automatically focus or zoom on conflicts near the boards, highlight player interaction, penalty box conversations, injected cutscenes, hits and puck handling to help make the game a little more fun to watch if you're not playing. The idea is that the game essentially makes what you're doing seem more interesting without going overboard on replays or funky angles (though the latter will certainly be a part of the game).
Two soundtracks are up for grabs, featuring the color commentary from Bob Cole and Harry Neale that has backed previous iterations of the series for the Cinemotion-Commentary track, but a second option actually replaces the commentary with a symphonic score that actually reacts to the in-game action. Dubbed Cinemotion-Music, the reactive soundtrack is apparently customizable, though the extent of the options is still unknown right now. 2K is promising that "each user can have their own experience."
If the Cinemotion experiment pays off, it could mean very interesting things indeed for hockey sims, and luckily we won't have to wait too long (okay, so technically three months for the next-gen version is a little long) to see how things turn out.
Apparently, more equals something called Cinemotion. In the world of sports sims, everything must be branded, and Cinemotion is really just a fancy term for all the cinematic techniques that developer Visual Concepts (now the name fits) has been working on. Specifically, they're targeting next-gen systems here -- or at the very least relying on the widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio that systems like the PlayStation 3 and the HDTVs that they're pumping the signal out to.
"With all of our 2K Sports products, we're always looking for new ways to enhance and revolutionize the sports video game experience," begins Greg Thomas, president of Visual Concepts. "With Cinemotion, we have been able to really take this experience to the next level. Cinemotion creates a completely customizable atmosphere for gamers, introducing several different ways of playing the game in terms of gameplay cameras and music, in addition to other dramatic elements."
In more precise terms, Cinemotion attempts a more broadcast-style presentation. The camera will automatically focus or zoom on conflicts near the boards, highlight player interaction, penalty box conversations, injected cutscenes, hits and puck handling to help make the game a little more fun to watch if you're not playing. The idea is that the game essentially makes what you're doing seem more interesting without going overboard on replays or funky angles (though the latter will certainly be a part of the game).
Two soundtracks are up for grabs, featuring the color commentary from Bob Cole and Harry Neale that has backed previous iterations of the series for the Cinemotion-Commentary track, but a second option actually replaces the commentary with a symphonic score that actually reacts to the in-game action. Dubbed Cinemotion-Music, the reactive soundtrack is apparently customizable, though the extent of the options is still unknown right now. 2K is promising that "each user can have their own experience."
If the Cinemotion experiment pays off, it could mean very interesting things indeed for hockey sims, and luckily we won't have to wait too long (okay, so technically three months for the next-gen version is a little long) to see how things turn out.
