FUSE by Insomniac Games

[AlphaMan]

Playstation exclusive developer Insomniac Games is going multiplatform for it's next game, FUSE. It will be published by EA and is coming to the 360 as well.

FUSE is a 4 person co-op third person cover based shooter. It's kind of like a mix of Borderlands and Gears of War. I downloaded the demo this morning and gave it a spin and I think it's actually pretty good. Has anyone else tried it yet?

http://www.ign.com/videos/2013/05/08/15-minutes-with-insomniacs-fuse

 

[Kelthaz]

Oh, Fuse, now there's a game that pisses me off. Fuse was originally known as Overstrike and was a very different game. It was an original game in a sea of generic AAA titles.

Of course, I guess their bosses got cold feet and decided to play it safe rather than try something unique and creative. So we end up with another Gears of War clone with hyper realistic and gritty graphics. Yawn.

Insomniac games originally unveiled Overstrike at Electronic Arts’ E3 2011 press conference. The game’s debut trailer, created by animation studio Blur, blended comedy with action. Characters were heavily stylized. Environments were bright and cheerful. Dialogue was campy.

As the game developed, Insomniac says the lighthearted visual tone of Overstrike didn’t match what it was ultimately becoming: a mature, coop shooter with a more serious story centered around the Fuse element.

“We’d started off with a cartoony art style, but it just never felt like the stakes were that high,” says Fuse creative director Brian Allgeier. “You really couldn’t take anyone seriously. We actually evolved the style quite a bit just to get to the Overstrike trailer from E3 2011. We were still developing the characters, but there was a certain point where we were ready to go to press and get these characters in the trailer. And they were kind of pulling it out of our artists’ hands.”

That's the game I wanted. Not this generic sell out that takes itself way too seriously.

http://www.polygon.com/2013/1/24/3781132/meet-fuse-the-game-formerly-known-as-insomniacs-overstrike

 

[AlphaMan]

Hmmm... Have you played the demo? I think a lot of your criticisms are fair, but "takes itself too seriously" doesn't seem like the demo I played today. A lot of it felt very toungue in cheek.

I just googled the Overstrike trailer and yeah... The tone and highly stylized graphics do seem to be more fun than FUSE will probably deliver. With that said, I get the feeling that FUSE will be a very good game that will fail to sell well because it really can't differentiate itself from the cookie cutter shooters out today.

 

[Kelthaz]

Yeah, that's what I expect too. I don't think the game will be bad, but it's very disappointing that the creator of Spyro and Ratchet has ditched their signature, cartoony style in favour of yet another dude bro shooter. If it was any other developer I'd be okay with the game, but this is coming from Insomniac Games. I expect more of them.

 

[Showdown]

My brother and I played the demo. Although we prefer the original artstyle, the Fuse demo is fun. Looking foward to the full game.

Comparing Overstrike to Fuse (for those who haven't seen the trailers)

Overstrike trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYowhad_1mw
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYowhad_1mw[/yt]

Fuse trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwHxvBAqv8c
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwHxvBAqv8c[/yt]

characters, story, & gameplay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9DhhXZsGLU
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9DhhXZsGLU[/yt]