News and Press from 2003

November 30, 2003
Metroid Prime for the NINTENDO GAMECUBE has received a BAFTA nomination for sound (British equivalent of the Oscars): http://www.bafta.org/interactive/announce.htm

November 20, 2003
GameZone.com reviewed Legends of Aranna and gave it a score of 8.5. Senior editor Michael Lafferty mentioned that the game is just as good as the original and is a treat for the eyes and ears. http://www.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r22635.htm

Sound: 8.8
Solid sound elements, with a very good musical underscore, keeps the game moving.

October 31, 2003
Dungeon Siege Goes Hollywood
Vierte Boll Kino Beteiligungs-GmbH & Co. KG ( Boll KG ) and Gas Powered Games have joined forces to bring the popular action/fantasy video game Dungeon Siege to the silver screen. Boll KG, the production company responsible for several film adaptations of video games including BloodRayne, Alone in the Dark and House of the Dead, recently purchased the theatrical and merchandise rights for Dungeon Siege.

Executive producer and director Dr. Uwe Boll, expects to begin filming Dungeon Siege in late 2004, and estimates a budget in the $50 million range. Interactive Film Sales International will handle the foreign rights sales for the production (www.InteractiveFilmSales.com). Boll's House of the Dead, released by Artisan Entertainment in North America, is presently screening in more than 1500 theatres.

" Dungeon Siege transcends the video game genre and appeals to mainstream entertainment audiences," said Boll. "Based on the success of House of the Dead, I believe Dungeon Siege contains major crossover potential because of its unique blend of action and fantasy, on the order of Lord of the Rings.

Originally released in the United States on April 5, 2002, Dungeon Siege is an action/fantasy role-playing game (RPG) designed by Chris Taylor, president and creative director of Gas Powered Games. Published by Microsoft Game Studios, Dungeon Siege features a fantasy world where the inhabitants must battle evil forces attempting to take over their kingdom. According to Mark H. Walker of Sci-Fi.com, "this down-and-dirty medieval environment propels high-tech role-playing even higher."

" This is a very exciting project for us", said Taylor, "and we are very enthusiastic about exploring how film and games can come together."

October 24, 2003
Dungeon Siege Legends Of Aranna Goes Gold!
Microsoft Game Studios today announced that Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna has gone gold. Legends of Aranna, the expansion pack to the award-winning action fantasy role-playing game Dungeon Siege, whisks adventurers away to the distant land of Aranna, where new foes and new challenges await. The Legends of Aranna expansion pack, which also includes the full version of the original Dungeon Siege, will be available in North America on November 12 for an estimated retail price of $29.95 (U.S.).

Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna unveils an all-new campaign that will challenge players to explore and fight their way through nine spectacular areas, including an expansive new jungle region, as they unravel the rich history and mystery of the world of Aranna. Legends of Aranna will also introduce new spells and special over-the-top spell effects to combat fierce new creatures such as Clockwork Beasts and Doppelgangers. Players begin as the latest in a long line of heroes, and as they advance will be able to add a new Half-Giant player character to fill out their party or choose the Half-Giant directly for multiplayer mode. Spells will also be discovered further into the game that can temporarily transform the player character into a wolf, troll or lava monster. Players will be able to collect rare and powerful treasures, including new consistent styles of armor sets and collectables. Also available is a new pack animal that will defend the player's treasure to the death.

For more information, please visit the official site at http://www.dungeonsiege.com/. Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna is being developed by Mad Doc Software and Gas Powered Games.

July 10, 2003
Dungeon Siege II Trailer Released
During the months of May and June we had the task of creating trailer audio for DS II. First for the E3 Expo and then a remix with additional footage for the website. Though challenging because of music driven video cuts and pacing, we feel the effort was well worth it, and yes - there are sound effects in there!

Download the DS II Trailer from the official Dungeon Siege II site! Windows Media 9 only.
Windows Media Player 9 for Mac: [Get]

Gamespot media page for DS2


July 09, 2003
Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna Interview
This November gamers will have a chance to return to Gas Powered Games' Dungeon Siege courtesy of a brand new expansion titled Dungeon Siege: Legends of Aranna . Featuring nine brand new areas, including a large jungle region, Legends of Aranna also includes plenty of new spells, new monsters and even a brand new player character, the half-giant. IGN.com


June 12, 2003
Inside Mac Games Review of Dungeon Siege For Sound:
"While not an all-important aspect to the game, sound adds the ambience to the world, allowing for a more complete atmosphere. Wolves howl in the distance, wind rushes through trees, and the sound of steel on steel or a spell caster muttering an arcane incantation are all parts of the Dungeon Siege universe. As well as the ambient sound effects, the occasional townsfolk or trader you meet will talk to you with voice acting that isn't half bad. The sound enhances the game, taking the world that has already been crafted by the developers and adding a flare of realism and excitement that can only come from well-produced and implemented sound effects."
From: http://www.insidemacgames.com/reviews/view.php?ID=378

June 5, 2003
Database pages updated
Added Boats, Trains, Elements, and updated Crashes database pages.

May 15, 2003
Recent Projects:
Recent work includeds the new Dungeon Siege II trailer and Weapon sound design for a new Shooter for Digital Extremes, Canada.

April 16, 2003
Gamasutra Audio Gallery: Frank Bry
http://www.gamasutra.com/galleries/audio/frank_bry/index.htm
Frank Bry began launched his career as a sound designer with Castle Infinity. Since then, he's worked on a string of high-profile hits including Total Annihilation, Dungeon Siege, and Metroid Prime. He now owns Creative Sound Design in Dover, Idaho.

April 14, 2003
SERIES 6000 EXTENSION IV RELEASED
1,072 great general sounds on 10 CDs

Another great addition to The General... Extension IV offers 10 more CDs and over 1,000 sound effects - everything from the practical to the unusual. It includes a full Hum Vee package, a small fleet of airplanes, heavy construction and road equipment, sounds from a variety of industrial environments, solid rock and wood FX, water, rain and liquids, and a host of other spectacular audio.

March 7th, 2003
Game Awards 2002 Update

Metroid Prime Takes Top Honors At Game Developers Choice Awards
The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) named recipients of the Game Developers Choice Awards at the 3rd annual ceremony during the Game Developers Conference on March 6th. The nominees and winners of the Choice Awards are selected by the community of game developers themselves -- peers recognizing each other for their accomplishments.

The big winner in the ceremony was Retro Studios' Metroid Prime, which was presented with the "Game of the Year" award. Retro also won the "Rookie Studio of the Year" award, which is presented to outstanding comapanies who released their first major title during the calendar year.

The Ninth Annual PC Gamer Awards
2002 Best Role Playing Game: Neverwinter Nights
Dungeon Siege nominated.

2002 Honorable Mentions: Dungeon Siege
" The game's graphical fidelity created a stunningly real world of adventure. Each new area bombarded our eyes with visual treats"

The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Interactive Achievement Awards
Computer Role Playing Game of the Year - 2002: Neverwinter Nights
• Publisher: Infogrames
• Developer: Bioware

Electronic Gaming Monthly Gamers Choice Awards
Game Of The Year: Metroid Prime
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Developer: Retro Studios

February 27, 2003
GameSpy's Game of the Year: Metroid Prime
"Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue" goes the old nuptial adage. That saying is also perfectly suited for our 2002 overall Game of the Year, Metroid Prime.

Nintendo's latest masterpiece serves up the classic NES Metroid game (something old), an all-new 3D adventure (something new), and a brilliant translation of the old-school game mechanics into a first-person setting (something borrowed). There are also blue things in the game (yes, the last part stumped us).

Seriously, though, Metroid Prime is one of those rare games that actually exceeds its hype. When Nintendo announced the game, pundits and gamers alike wondered how the platform / puzzle gameplay of the NES and SNES Metroid games would translate into a 3D adventure. Many doubted that Nintendo and Retro could pull it off. Whether they believed or not, everyone was anxiously awaiting the first new Metroid game in nearly a decade.

What nobody was prepared for was game so amazing that it redefined what a first-person console game could be. One GameSpy employee even went as far to say that, "Metroid Prime is clearly the best game I've played all year … and probably the best I've played in the last two." The statement is particularly notable since his favorite genre is real-time strategy PC games.

February 10, 2003
IGDA Announces Game Developers Choice Awards Nominees
The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) announced the nominees for the Third Annual Game Developers Choice Awards, which will be handed out during at a ceremony at the Game Developers Conference on March 6.

Excellence in Audio: Metroid Team for sound effects in METROID PRIME
Rookie Studio of the Year: Gas Powered Games for DUNGEON SIEGE

February 6, 2003
Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences nominations
I am proud to announce that four games that feature my sound design work have been nominated by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences in numerous categories (www.interactive.org).

These games are:
• Metroid Prime for the NINTENDO GAMECUBE, published by Nintendo of America Inc., developed by Retro Studios
• Dungeon Siege, published by Microsoft Game Studios, developed by Gas Powered Games
• Neverwinter Nights™, published by Infogrames, developed by BioWare
• Unreal Tournament 2003 for the PC, published by Infogrames, developed by Digital Extremes.

These nominations include the categories of, "Game of the Year" "PC Game of the Year", "Console Game of the Year", "PC RPG of the Year", "Console Action Adventure Game of the Year", "Outstanding Achievement in Game Design" and "Innovation in PC Gaming". In addition, my work on "Metroid Prime for the NINTENDO GAMECUBE" has been nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design". All told, these games have garnered a total of seventeen nominations.

For a full list of finalists in all categories, visit www.interactive.org/awards/6th_annual.asp.

January 15, 2003
IGN Best of 2002: Sound
Metroid Prime wins IGM/Cube award for Best Sound 2002! "Why it rocked: Most certainly the best example of Dolby Pro Logic II on GameCube, and an amazing accomplishment in game surround design -- period. Few titles offer up a surroundscape like Metroid Prime does". [IGN]

News Archive 2000-2001-2002