A First Look at “The Grinder” for the Wii
Developing studio High Voltage Software has by no means been sitting around. Since before the final stages of The Conduit, HVS has been hard at work on two Wii games: Gladiator A.D. and The Grinder. While both games look very fascinating and a worthwhile use of High Voltage’s time, for now the subject is of the latter, an extremely violent first-person shooter involving vampires, werewolves, and other creatures of the night.
According to the studio, the game is in many ways influenced by Left 4 Dead. The idea has been to come up with a much more action-oriented game in it’s style that takes advantage of the Wii’s unique functions. The Grinder has also been compared to another game the team worked on: Hunter: The Reckoning. Perhaps they are similar in that both games feature a cast of specially designed characters, each having their own place in the game’s linear storyline. This is in somewhat contrast to Left 4 Dead’s strictly multiplayer-oriented style.
Not that The Grinder isn’t multiplayer focused. In fact, it has been built from the ground up with cooperative play in mind. But still, there is much that can be said about the game’s story. Players can choose from four playable characters, known as: Hector, Doc, AJ and Miko. Each character has their own backround corresponding with their ingame abilities and skill sets. For example, Miko is a Japanese assassin, making her faster than the others and allowing her to use blades quite efficiently.
But what does that tell you about the game? Let’s get technical. HVS’s Imposer and Instancer system, as they call it, allows for tons of enemies onscreen with no visible lag. Just how many characters on screen, you ask? Well, the studio marked it at about sixty-five in the initial tests, so no doubt the number has grown by now. The Quantum 3 has also been upgraded since The Conduit’s development, allowing for smoother, cleaner, more detailed visuals.
More information concerning The Grinder should be made known when the game is unveiled at E3 in June. When is it coming out? According the High Voltage, sometime in late 2010. That may seem like a long time to wait, but next month’s The Conduit should hold you up until then, not to mention give a good idea of the fell of these guys’ games, and what they are like.
