Go, Speed Racer, Go!
Right, so you're probably thinking, "Wow! A Speed Racer videogame? Awesome!" Well, yes, and no... probably leaning more on the side of no, there. See, the catch is that this game isn't based on the cartoon, but the upcoming Wachowski Brothers live action film. The game will be available at the same time the film is released in 2008, and we all know how well games come out when their development time is tied into the release of a film or TV series. Games need time to breathe. Like a fine wine. (Not that I'd know anything about fine wines — those are the ones that don't come in a box, right?) And why are the Wii and DS versions going to launch with the movie, while the PS2 will be out with the DVD?
On the other hand, it's basically a racing game, so that might not be too hard to muck up. And playing as Speed or Racer X could be kind of fun. And developer Sidhe did make GripShift, so they know about racers... of course, they're also developing the licensed Jackass game, so there's that. Still, too bad it's not based on the cartoon. That would've been awesome!
Full overblown press release after the jump!
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment presents Speed Racer – the videogame
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will launch the Speed Racer videogame based on the upcoming film written and directed by the Wachowski brothers. Speed Racer is a Warner Bros. Pictures presentation in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, of a Silver Pictures production. The game will be available in 2008 on the Wii and Nintendo DS systems as the Speed Racer film hits cinemas. It will be released on the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system with the DVD launch.
In the Wii and PlayStation2 system games, developed by Sidhe Interactive and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, players will be able to take on the role of the characters from the film, getting behind the wheels of each character’s signature vehicles to experience firsthand the film’s high adrenaline, combative racing style. The car-fu style of action within the game will closely represent the action style being designed by the Wachowski brothers for the film itself as they lend direction and assets to the development team directly from their Berlin set. John Gaeta, a long time Wachowski collaborator and Co-VFX Supervisor on the Speed Racer film, is working with Sidhe and WBIE to assist in maintaining a close film-to-game aesthetic connection.
“Speed Racer is an exceptionally creative property and teamed with the Wachowski brothers’ vision it makes for action-packed racing gameplay,” said Samantha Ryan, senior vice president, development and production, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “The game will capture the intensity of the racing in the film to give gamers and movie fans a chance to take the wheel after the experience the film.”
“We are very excited about this natural extension from the Speed Racer film to the videogame. Larry and Andy are videogame fans themselves, so they believe that an interactive game is a key component to the entire Speed Racer experience,” said film producer Joel Silver.
The game’s development for the Wii and PlayStation2 system platforms is led by the New Zealand-based Sidhe, a game development studio recognised for producing high-quality entertainment titles with world-class creative and software development skills. Developing across console, handheld, and PC, Sidhe has created a range of innovative products including a variety of racing titles.
Written and directed by the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix trilogy, V for Vendetta) and produced by Joel Silver, Speed Racer is based on the classic series created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida. A live-action family adventure, Speed Racer follows the young race-car driver Speed in his quest for glory on and off the track in his thundering Mach 5.
The film will feature other characters that fans of the show will remember, including Speed’s family and his mysterious arch-rival, Racer X. The new high-octane actioner will combine the kind of revolutionary visual effects and cutting-edge storytelling that have become the benchmarks of the Wachowski brothers’ films, bringing Speed Racer into the 21st century. The film stars Emile Hirsch (“Alpha Dog”) as Speed, Christina Ricci (“Black Snake Moan”) as Trixie and Matthew Fox (TV’s “Lost”) as Racer X as well as Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (“Dead Man Walking”) and John Goodman (“Evan Almighty”) as Mom and Pops Racer.
Wootini
Posted to Hot Stuff, Video Games on 4 September 2007
· Comments (1)
Other stuff like this: ds, movie, ps2, speed racer, wachowski brothers, warner bros., wii
Uh, just a little note. You can't technically call them the Wachowski Brothers anymore. Larry Wachowski has had a sex change, and is now referred to as Lana. That's according to Perez Hilton and whoever his sources are. http://perezhilton.com/?p=5077 is where the report is, as well as a link to another article. I've found all Hilton's other reports to be accurate, so I'm guessing this is pretty accurate as well. Sorry if you were trying to take attention away from that, but I thought it should be known.