There Can Be Only One! [Highlander game]

QuestionMarkMan

From 1up

An immortal warrior travels throughout the ages, seeking others like him with which to do epic battle, defeat only coming through savage beheadings giving the victor his fallen foe's power -- how has this not produced more Highlander video games? It may not be the most popular license with the kids these days, but Eidos sees the potential, and they're banking on it with a Highlander video game for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Games for Windows.

Written by David Abramowitz, writer and show runner for the Highlander television series, the Highlander video game will follow a new main character: Owen MacLeod. Born in Gaul over 2000 years ago, Owen discovers he's an Immortal when he's sent to the gladiatorial arena in Pompeii, and, what do you know, realizes he can't be killed. The game eventually takes Owen to a futuristic New York, where he contends with an unusually powerful Immortal hunting him down.

"For the first time, Highlander comes to fans in a new medium that allows players to dive into the Immortal universe," said Peter Davis, co-founder of Davis-Panzer Productions (which holds the Highlander license). "The interactive experience permits players to gain a completely different perspective of the mythos, and experience the powers and advantages of immortality through the eyes of a MacLeod."

Being an Immortal, The Highlander game will allow players to utilize some unusual combat techniques -- Owen will be able to impale himself with an enemy's weapon to disarm them, fall from great heights to escape pursuit, and use his body as a conduit for electricity. Players will also battle other Immortals, and defeating them will grant you their powers, boosting your Quickening techniques.

The Highlander game will use the Unreal Engine 3, and is set for release this fall.

reddog

...you just blew my mind...

Preacher

FUCK YEAH! As long as it lets you choose your sword fighting style that would be awesome.

Backlash

I don't know how I feel about this. On one hand, I'll always love the original Highlander and the TV show.

On the other, every other bit of Highlander material has been such a giant clusterfuck, I don't think I can get excited about this at all. After The Source I have doubts that anything Highlander related can ever be good again.

DarkWarrior

"There can be only one."

I'm sure its that way around.

Strikerkc

I'm actualy quite interested in this. I've always like the story but never really got a chance to follow the tv show. It'll be nice to get a new perspective from another character.

With a name like "MacLeod" I doubt there will be much original thought. MacLeod is really just saying "McCloud" with a southern draw.

[Edit] Yes, I've since found out that the original character's name is spelled MacLeod. But I don't hide my mistakes, I learn from them, the original post stands . It's almost worse in my eyes that they've just decided to have you play the original character's distant cousin and not the actual character.

the Togfather

Seething with very cautious optimism.

taliosfalcon

First I thought "fuck yeah" then i thought "lets see whose developing it" then i thought "D:" when i found it. When your best game has been dead to rights II..well..I really don't think theres any nice way to say this, you fucking suck.

Backlash

Strikerkc wrote: »

With a name like "MacLeod" I doubt there will be much original thought. MacLeod is really just saying "McCloud" with a southern draw.

This sentence is so backwards it hurts.

Strikerkc

Backlash wrote: »

Strikerkc wrote: »

With a name like "MacLeod" I doubt there will be much original thought. MacLeod is really just saying "McCloud" with a southern draw.

This sentence is so backwards it hurts.

What's the problem?
*Goes and looks up info on the highlander*

Wikipedia wrote:

"Highlander: The Series is an English language fantasy/sci-fi television series featuring Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul), of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the Highlander of the title."

Well I'll be damned O_o, I'd never actually seen the main character's name spelled, and I've never heard it enunciated correctly (even on the show Everyone said McCloud).

That's actually even more disappointing than I thought. They couldn't even be bothered to think of a new last name for their completely new character.

Artoria

you know when I read the thread title I was like "Fuck yea!" but then I got to thinking.

You are an immortal and you can't Fucking die. It's going to be no challenge at all because what's going to kill you? I don't think every enemy in the game will be going to take your head. and if you take any damage you will heal up pretty quick. the only time you might stand a chance of dieing will be the boss fights. I have a really strong feeling that there is no way for this to work proper.

Preacher

Well in the show they didn't die in a traditional sense, but their deaths did knock them out, so they could do that for the game. Take too much damage you get knocked out/game over.

Orogogus

Strikerkc wrote: »

Wikipedia wrote:

"Highlander: The Series is an English language fantasy/sci-fi television series featuring Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul), of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the Highlander of the title."

Well I'll be damned O_o, I'd never actually seen the main character's name spelled, and I've never heard it enunciated correctly (even on the show Everyone said McCloud).

I've always assumed that McCloud is the correct pronunciation, the same way "McLean" is prounounced like "McClane".

Oh, huh. It's in the dictionary, I guess.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/macleod

the Togfather

Strikerkc wrote: »

Backlash wrote: »

Strikerkc wrote: »

With a name like "MacLeod" I doubt there will be much original thought. MacLeod is really just saying "McCloud" with a southern draw.

This sentence is so backwards it hurts.

What's the problem?
*Goes and looks up info on the highlander*

Wikipedia wrote:

"Highlander: The Series is an English language fantasy/sci-fi television series featuring Duncan MacLeod (Adrian Paul), of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the Highlander of the title."

Well I'll be damned O_o, I'd never actually seen the main character's name spelled, and I've never heard it enunciated correctly (even on the show Everyone said McCloud).

That's actually even more disappointing than I thought. They couldn't even be bothered to think of a new last name for their completely new character.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, been a while since I was 'in' to highlander so I could be way off here, but the Movie MacLeod is different from the TV MacLeod anyway. It's explained early on in the TV series that they are also distant cousins...distant to the tune of a few hundred years I think, basically they both originate from the same Scottish clan. Not sure, but I think they even included something about immortality running in the family. So this will make the third MacLeod.

Preacher

Yeah same clan different Vintage, though Duncan (tv show) like Connor (movie) was not an orignal McCleod. He was taken in by his father as an orphan.

Strikerkc

Preacher wrote: »

Yeah same clan different Vintage, though Duncan (tv show) like Connor (movie) was not an orignal McCleod. He was taken in by his father as an orphan.

So, none of the Highlanders have actualy been from the Clan?

the Togfather

Preacher wrote: »

Yeah same clan different Vintage, though Duncan (tv show) like Connor (movie) was not an orignal McCleod. He was taken in by his father as an orphan.

Ahh, forgot that little tid-bit.

Preacher

Strikerkc wrote: »

Preacher wrote: »

Yeah same clan different Vintage, though Duncan (tv show) like Connor (movie) was not an orignal McCleod. He was taken in by his father as an orphan.

So, none of the Highlanders have actualy been from the Clan?

I know for certain Duncan wasn't "There was an episode about how his family told him he was brought there by a strange woman and they took him in" Dunno about Connor for sure (I vaguely remember in the highlander movie his mother was not his real mother but can't say) , maybe the show was going to do a "he's the son of connor" vibe but never actually went through with it, since their own mythos says once an immortal "dies" they can't have children.

Dracomicron

It sounds strangely like the plot of Highlander: the Search for Vengence anime that came out last year. Colin MacLeod is about 2,000 years old, gets adopted into Clan MacLeod somewhere along the way, and ends up in some futuristic city at the end... I think it was New York, but don't remember. Then again, Colin was kinda a jackass, so I see why they might not want to follow his story. He did have a cool ghost druid sidekick following him around to provide exposition, though.

As for thinking that the main character's inability to be killed would somehow prevent it from making a good game, well...

That really didn't stop Planescape: Torment, now did it?

EskimoDave

Could be real cool. I remember watching the show/movies when i was real young and liking them. I don't remember much, just that i liked them.

bamjo

At first I also thought, "oh lame, what's the point if you can't die?" But when I thought about it, there are some great gameplay possibilities involved with being immortal. A big part of the movies and tv show is the secrecy of immortality. They are always careful to keep the general public unaware of the existence of immortals, always fighting their duels in secluded locations and such. There are lots of interesting ways this aspect of the mythology could be worked into the game.

Hopefully the story will be up to par. They have a rich background universe to draw ideas from.

I really hope this doesn't suck!

Frostozuna

I'm listening to Princes of the Universe so hard right now

Duchess Prozac

I have wanted a Highlander game so hard for over 10 years. I always thought it would cool to be something like Bushido Blade. where one hit could kill. But with a stamina meter which affects your reflexes and the ability to run around various locales.

I somehow doubt this game will be anything like that, therefore it will probably suck.

Houk the Namebringer

I hope this means we never have to see a Game Over screen. It should be disallowed from a game like this.

Tylerbroor

The Macleod premise seems a bit tired. The canonical universe makes sense enough where every protagonist shouldn't have to be a Macleod. Playing the life of Ramirez would be interesting. He'd make for a more sarcastic/bucaneer main character. Sounds like it's already set in stone though. That's too bad. I hope at least it takes a little time to move through the ages, as opposed to a prologue in 1099 and then a fast forward to 2010.

LewieP

Has the trailer not been linked yet?

Here

QuestionMarkMan

Pretty generic trailer

We'll see I guess

DasUberEdward

Strange. Today I posted that one of my two dreams in life was to be a Highlander or the guy from DC comics who decided not to die.

august

It's a licensed game. It's Highlander. They don't say who the dev is. It's probably going to blow goats.

Meiz

I'm just glad to see a highlander game.

august

They know that, which is why they don't necessarily have to make a good game. Maybe it will be good, I dunno, but I can't think of a game being announced without them saying who the developer is.

Meiz

I wonder if you can freak people out by walking in front of cars, getting hit and going out from the morgue to do it all over again.

Achievement unlocked: Jumped off a building to an otherwise fatal death 1000 times.

Lukin

Preacher wrote: »

Strikerkc wrote: »

Preacher wrote: »

Yeah same clan different Vintage, though Duncan (tv show) like Connor (movie) was not an orignal McCleod. He was taken in by his father as an orphan.

So, none of the Highlanders have actualy been from the Clan?

I know for certain Duncan wasn't "There was an episode about how his family told him he was brought there by a strange woman and they took him in" Dunno about Connor for sure (I vaguely remember in the highlander movie his mother was not his real mother but can't say) , maybe the show was going to do a "he's the son of connor" vibe but never actually went through with it, since their own mythos says once an immortal "dies" they can't have children.

According to the TV series, all immortals are foundlings. An immortal has never been "born" to a mother. Nobody really knows where they come from.

august

Okay, that trailer was ass.

Dr. Face

I am so fucking stoked.

JJ

How did you fuck up "There can be only one"?

Ruined. You fucking ruined it.

Goose!

Who waaaants to liiiive foreverrrrrrr?

AlienCowThatMoos

I'm optimistic. I loved the series and even Highlander: Endgame. Did anyone else see that in theaters? If you did, good for you. In that one week that it was playing was the only time that you could see a version that doesn't suck. The DVD edit fucked it up so far beyond recognition that you'd swear it was an Ed Wood. Or an Uve Boll.

When I heard about this game I looked up Highlander on the net and discovered that somehow, even though I used to be a rabid fan, and am very much in tune with weird shit from the internet, somehow there was another Highlander movie that I had never heard of. It stars the tv cast even! I'm curious if the merging of a Highlander sequel and a Sci-fi original movie (both things that tend to be awful) will cancel each other out or create a perfect storm of awfulness.

I have to find out. Pray for me.

Goose!

Dr. Face wrote: »

I am so fucking stoked.

Hahaha. Forget mass production...THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

Gaming-Module

I've always loved the concept behind Highlander, which is why I'm hoping that Lost Odyssey game turns out okay.

As far as this game goes, based on the trailer, it looks like you'll start in a Rome level, move on to a viking level, wander over to a Japanese level and end in New York.

Hopefully it's not just a retarded ass beatem/slashem up, but I highly doubt it. I usually end up liking something Highlander despite its quality. The TV series and all of the sequels to the original movie sucked. I did enjoy the Highlander cartoon as a kid.

Avenrosh

Dracomicron wrote: »

It sounds strangely like the plot of Highlander: the Search for Vengence anime that came out last year. Colin MacLeod is about 2,000 years old, gets adopted into Clan MacLeod somewhere along the way, and ends up in some futuristic city at the end... I think it was New York, but don't remember. Then again, Colin was kinda a jackass, so I see why they might not want to follow his story. He did have a cool ghost druid sidekick following him around to provide exposition, though.

As for thinking that the main character's inability to be killed would somehow prevent it from making a good game, well...

That really didn't stop Planescape: Torment, now did it?

Well it doesn't stop any games, really... They could play it where if you get say, shot to death, then you just wake up in a morgue. The immortal mechanic is a perfect way to explain multiple lives.

But if you loose your head, your character is deleted. ;-)

Also, it would be nice if this gets tied into the TV storyline with the Watchers and whatnot referenced.