The game is a joint production involving Channel 4 and Littleloud, and is written by Kieron Gillen: comic-book writer, gamer, co-owner at Rock, Paper, Shotgun and all-round nice guy who was kind enough to answer a few question about The Curfew, some of the issues that the game brings up, and of course his comic books. The interview below has not been edited, and we’d like to thank Kieron and Rebecca Ladbury for their time and co-operation.

BURNALLZOMBIES: Can you describe a little bit about the creative process behind The Curfew? It was commissioned by Alice Taylor, commissioning editor of Channel 4’s educational programming, so how much of the idea was already in mind, and how much developed over the course of writing?

KIERON GILLEN: Channel 4 Education has its vague over-arching themes which it plans to use as fuel for projects. Littleloud was considering a couple of them – Civil Liberties and Mental Health – when they approached me as possibly as a writer. In the end, it was the core of one of Littleloud’s idea – “the curfew”, a safehouse, four people, day-after-tomorrow “Canterbury Tales”-structure – which we ended up developing. And it developed a lot… though, since that core is recognisable in the short-form I list above, it shows that it’s much more about execution than the grand oversweeping structure.

In short – the high-level theme came from Channel 4; everything about the actual execution of that theme came from Littleloud.

Channel 4 and its affiliated channels have been heavily promoting The Curfew during ad breaks, and a lot of these ads are similar in style to Channel 4’s TV shows. Was The Curfew always planned as an interactive “game” with a real-life cast, or were there ever other/“simpler” possibilities of telling the same story? And how did that format affect your approach as a writer.

Littleloud have a long history at making webgames. Arguably their most famous previous one was the BAFTA-award winning Bow Street Runner, which uses the earlier version of the same technology – rendered backgrounds, real-actors and similar conversation/mini-game interaction. The Curfew was basically the spiritual sequel to Bow Street Runner, just turning the technology to a new end. Being a gaming geek, I think of it as Planescape Torment to Bow Street Runner’s Baldur’s Gate.

I’ve never written for actors before. Like any new thing, it affected my writing by provoking me to panic. It’s just how I operate.

As part of Channel 4’s educational programming, much of The Curfew revolves around notions of citizenship, as well as the rights and responsibilities of a nation and its inhabitants, and other civil rights issues. At what stage did Amnesty, Liberty, Human Rights Watch and The Equality And Human Rights Commission get involved in the production, and what kind of response did they have to the story?

I’m afraid you’d have to talk to Littleloud and Channel 4 about this, as I never communicated to them directly. Basically, even at synopsis form, everything I wrote was taken to Channel 4 and evaluated whether it was actually suitable, and then – apparently – eventually presented to experts. That so many human rights groups are linked is probably the best evidence of how they took it.

While a fictional narrative, there’s some real-life issues writ large in The Curfew, and one of the most interesting aspects for me has to do with the availability and control of media. As a writer and games journalist, you straddle an interesting divide between creator and consumer: what are your own thoughts on censorship and access to media, as well as piracy and digital content, based on your experiences from both sides?

Big question. I suspect any answer I can give which works in a short interview format is going to sound really pat. I’ve started writing this paragraph a few dozen times now, and I can’t work out a way to get to the end of the paragraph and make a point I actually believe which doesn’t demand another eight paragraphs of explanation.

It’s a big question, and most of the questions are about the world we’re choosing to make. My immediate urge was to write that I’m against censorship in all its forms, but I just start picking at that and drawing a line between what censorship is and isn’t. I think the democratisation of the press with the internet age is an important thing – but I also understand that married to the postmodern belief in all-opinions-are-equal, the based chew of capitalism and general entitlement that it leads to some really nasty places. One of the themes in The Curfew which people haven’t picked up on as much is the basic one of personal responsibility – of where it starts and where it ends, and what communication is anyway.

It’s a game which is fundamentally won or lost by weaponised empathy. We’re here with each other and we’ve got to make the best of it.

And the question of Piracy is another essay, which I don’t think necessarily overlaps with digital content. I’ll go as far to say that if you can’t give people access to something in a format they want – digital – you can’t be too surprised when they pirate when there’s no other option.

Currently The Curfew plays out on site, with plans for a full downloadable experience later this year. Are there any plans to support The Curfew with other narratives outside of the main game? Or to revisit the world in some other format in the future?

I don’t know what Littleloud has planned… but I wouldn’t be surprised if it is never touched again. I think games are desperately obsessed with turning their worlds into brands, which is great for capitalism and not so great for the art.

Most of our readers probably know you best as the writer of Phonogram, some of your more recent work with Marvel Comics or maybe your games journalism with Rock, Paper, Shotgun: it’s a pretty eclectic CV, so were there any major differences (or similarities) in writing The Curfew?

Impossible deadlines.

If only I was joking.

I think it would be fair to say that you’re as passionate about games and music as you are about writing, and knowing what games someone plays or what music they listen to gives a real sense of character: in Phonogram, music even defines their very being. Similarly, in The Curfew, the game The Call Of Grand Theft Duty is integral to one of the characters: is this something you do consciously when creating a character, or does it just come naturally? Do your characters develop from their interests, or do they develop the interests as they grow? And have you ever written a character that you suspect of liking Kula Shaker? [If you've read Phonogram, you'll get that. If not: shame on you.]

Someone in a random tweet or e-mail just wrote asking something like “would you say the major theme across all your work is how humans interact and are shaped by the culture they consume?” And I thought… well, yes. That’s it, innit? I’d never put it that cleanly, but if you want a BIG THEME across everything I do, that’s it. That said, Lucas [The Boy in The Curfew] is given a far harder time than Phonogram’s cast for his solipism.

In terms of creation, it works both ways. Some of it comes quickly. You just know that a character would like a certain band. In Phonogram, it occasionally goes the other way – like Laura emerging from the black swamp of Long Blondes records. And then when you’re writing a character, you catch a record and realise it resonates with that character. Lloyd only got a happy ending in Phonogram when I found myself listening to Los Campesinos late at night, and found myself thinking “Lloyd really could do with hearing this. He’d learn something.” When thinking about Generation Hope [Kieron's new X-Men series, commencing in November, focussing on the supposed mutant saviour and a team of new mutants], I was listening to These Dancing Days’ “Hitten” and it sort of clicked. That’s where she is, right now, and that’s what this series is about.  I tend to see songs as blobs of narrative and meaning in an unrealised, pure form. [Jamie] McKelvie [Kieron's collaborating artist on Phonogram and Marvel's Siege: Loki one-shot] says that instinct is pretty much the thing which allowed me to write Phonogram.

The character who likes Kula Shaker lives, crumpled up, in my office-bin.

Moving away from The Curfew, any plans to revisit the world of Phonogram after The Single’s Club [the second series in the comic]? Or to see (hear?) Phonogram on stage or screen?

I’d love to do another series of Phonogram, but it’s just incredibly, incredibly unlikely. Financial reality crushed it, and now McKelvie and myself are just too busy.

Phonogram on screen or stage would be highly amusing, especially considering I originally wrote it to be as unadaptable as possible. That said, you never know.

There seems to be a second wave of the British invasion hitting Marvel and DC over the last few years, focussing on names like yourself and Paul Cornell; how does it feel to be name-checked in the same breath as the likes of Gaiman, Moore, Carey, Morrison et al?

That’s complimentary company you’re putting me in. I like to imagine when you say I’m name-checked in the same breath, the breath is saying “Isn’t nearly as good as XYZ”.

Really? It’s about as strange as you may expect.  On the other hand… okay, I’ll spin off at an angle. When doing Phonogram, Jamie and I wanted to do something that mattered to other people as much as the stuff which inspired us mattered to us. We are people who have had life-changing experiences with art, and we wanted to be part of that chain. So, when people come up to us and talk about how much the work means to them, up to the point of changing how they dress or what clubs they go to or whatever… well, it’s profoundly embarrassing and  bizarre. But it’s also exactly what we wanted. As odd as it is – and that you find it odd is about the only way you can tell you haven’t gone off the deep end – it’s what you entered this game for, so you have to smile and say thank you and (if pressed) say that you understand, because you were there yourself once.

So when people compare me to some people who I absolutely count as major influences…

Well, I didn’t get into this line of work to be shit.

I want to be as good as my influences – all my influences, inside and outside of comics. Hell, I want to be better, even if I don’t think I’ll ever be. You have to try.

You’re finishing up a pretty successful run on Thor at the moment, and Generation Hope will be on shelves later this year: did Thor give you a chance to get involved (or even check out) the film/tie-in game? And how close will Generation Hope run alongside the other X-Men titles?

Nope. I’ve only seen as much of the film as everyone else has, which I kinda like. I want to be surprised. And Generation Hope will be part of the core X-men universe. They’re Matt [Fraction, current writer of Uncanny X-Men] and my characters, so they’re always going to be. However, I also want to write a book which is readable entirely by itself. Anything I write, I try and make the smallest individual elements mean something by themselves.

Finally, regarding characters or franchises from the worlds of comics and video games: if there were one character or franchise you could get your hands on, regardless of rights or medium, what would you write?

I would like to get my hands on all the Suburban Glamour characters, so Jamie doesn’t own them anymore. And then I would write them really badly, saying things like “Jamie McKelvie smells bad. He smells so bad. Pooooooooo! He smells like Pooo.” And then I would phone him up and laugh at him. Again.

[Jamie McKelvie was unavailable to comment on his personal scent at the time of posting this...truth is, we didn't actually ask anyway.]

The Curfew is currently in Beta and can be played here.

Generation Hope begins in November; Thor is an ongoing series and Siege: Loki is available as one-shot or as part of several Siege collection from Marvel Comics, including a Siege: Thor Hardcover due later this year.

Phonogram: Rue Britannia and Phonogram Volume 2: The Single’s Club are available now, published by Image Comics.

Kieron is a regular contributer and co-owner of Rock, Paper, Shotgun.

Mass Effect 2 Comes To Sony PlayStation 3

The former Microsoft-exclusive hits the Sony PlayStation 3 in January 2011. We weren’t the only ones to think that the game was pretty damn good (you can check our review here) and I’m looking forward to seeing how the transfer is to PS3, whether there’s any noticeable change to graphics or gameplay (although it may prove that the only change will be the game being on one disc, rather than two.)

Dead Space 2 Gets Dated

January 25th in the USA; January 28th in Europe. Gamers get to revisit Isaac Clarke in his fight against the Necromorphs, and the game will also come with a PlayStation Move compatible version of Dead Space: Extraction (previously released on the Wii.)

Dragon Age 2 Trailer

We’ve been promised a much more immersive experience with a completely new “visual identity” (nope, we’re not sure what that means either.) It looks like the game will be released March 8th 2011 (USA) and March 11th (Europe) with a nifty-looking cut-scene trailer below.

Set within an alien infected Mexico, Monsters follows Andrew (Scoot McNairy) an American photojournalist tasked with  finding and leading the rich-kid daughter of his boss, Samantha (Whitney Able) to safety, all while avoiding the ever evolving monstrous creatures and government officials responsible for containing them.

Below you’ll find the latest trailer (brought via Apple Trailers) and poster to Gareth Edwards micro-budget sci-fi film set for release this November.

Monsters is set to be released in Ireland later this year on November 12th.

With little in the means of story, it’s the game’s official description which informs players of their lost sister. Limbo offers players a simple goal, a supposedly “simple” platforming adventure of constantly moving right-wards while avoiding numerous obstacles. So many obstacles, in fact, that the game doesn’t keep a track of lives, unlike many platformers, with death often being particularly gruesome, and in many cases the only way of learning how to traverse a particular obstacle. The first time walking over a well concealed bear trap only to see the boy graphically cut to pieces is quite shocking and not something which becomes easier to stomach as the game progresses, especially as there never seems to be a moment where the boy isn’t in some form of danger.

Concealed traps and rapid deaths aren’t the only obstacles facing the boy and in the rare occasions when the game manages to slow down there’s usually a puzzle nearby involving switches, platforms and/or gravity defying physics to be solved. The game does a great job of explaining the mechanics of all of these with no dialogue and with the exception of one or two instances players won’t be racking their brains too long for a solution (which is often that your jump was not timed to perfection).

The physics work as expected, momentum and gravity being used to great effect, and each separate area offers its own unique puzzle type so that players never feel as if they are constantly solving the same puzzle, which is especially welcomed due to the boy’s limited move set. Players can grab objects, press switches and jump, all of which are used in inventive ways (especially when you have a jump to trigger a switch mid-air.) The first time a player jumps from one moving platform to another or grabs a box may not be that impressive but as the game progresses and platforms are replaced with floating corpses and boxes with twitching giant spider legs players will be equally disgusted and impressed.

All of Limbo‘s disgusting feats are beautifully brought to life with varying shades of black, white and grey. Everything exists within silhouette, re-enforcing the game’s mood and making the boy’s quest seem even more helpless as his pale, glowing eyes peer into the darkness. It’s also to the game’s credit that this style never gets old, constantly refreshed as various streams of light illuminate the dark, whether it comes from a glowing bug or the spark of a hotel sign. As with the game’s imagery, its music remains stark and haunting, with little in the way of traditional music supplied players will be more familiar with insect buzzing, spinning saws and haunting echoes in the dark.

If the game is to have one complaint though it is that as the game progresses, the game mechanics attempt to over shadow the hard work done by developer Playdead to keep the oppressive mood as the game’s main focus. Thankfully the game’s abrupt ending prevents this from happening but it will still no doubt be the first hour or two of play that stick with player’s the most.

While short on multiple features or intricate gameplay players looking for a tightly paced game with an engaging atmosphere will find a lot to enjoy with Limbo. It isn’t the longest experience, with an average play through clocking in at around 4 hours, but it offers an experience unlike any other and one well worth multiple replays.

Zombie Rating: A-

Limbo is available now Xbox Live Arcade.

But this is something different: The Hole 3D comes from director Joe Dante and has been floating around since 2009, finally making its way into cinemas this year. Dante is known for something we can only describe as family-friendly-chillers, with both Gremlins movies, Innerspace, The Howling and Small Soldiers under his belt (not to mention Eerie, Indiana) so it should come as no surprise that The Hole 3D has scary stuff, kids, kids getting scared, and kids being scary.

Check the trailer below: for a film released in 2010, it’s one of the most 80s trailers I’ve seen in years (mostly because of the voice over) but it also looks like we might finally be able to scare and entertain our kids (well…nephews, nieces and cousins) in the same way as we were way back in the 80s.

http://bubble-cast.com

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The Hole 3D is due for release in Ireland on September 24th.

The PlayStation Move lands in Irish stores on 17th September, with motion control support for new and existing games, with the promise of a lot more coming in 2011. Of the games we got to experience, we’ll have a quick look below at The Fight, The Shoot, Start The Party, Heavy Rain (Move Edition), Sports Champions and Kung Fu Rider.

But first off, let’s check the hardware: PlayStation Move consists of two add-ons to the regular PS3 console: the PlayStation Eye camera (expected to retail on its own for €29.99, and also packaged with last year’s EyePet; and the PlayStation Move motion controller (RRP €39.99) with both available in a bundle together, and packaged with new consoles. Additional options include a sub-controller, known as the PlayStation Move navigation controller (featuring an analogue stick, D-pad and further buttons) and a charging station.

You might have seen images of the motion controller from any E3 coverage, either this year or last year: they’re those weird things with a globe on top, that look just a little bit like sex toys. The motion controller itself features the same four face buttons as have been on PlayStation controllers for years, along with a new “Move” button (under your thumb) and a trigger underneath (pretty much equivalent to the A and B buttons on a Wii Remote.) And before anyone starts giving out about the Wii-comparisons, that’s not going to be the only one on here, so take a deep calming breath.

A combination of hardware within the controller and the relationship between it and the PlayStation Eye gives the controller its one-to-one motion controls, which are pretty precise. While the PlayStation team were quick to highlight that some of the tech on display was still in the very early stages, that proved to be something of a drawback when it came to the controls: the sheer amount of hardware involved means that recalibration may be necessary if you move positions significantly during play, or if handing off the controller from one player to another.

But how does it feel, I hear you ask? A little too light, if I’m honest. One of my main complaints about any and all PlayStation controllers is the lack of real weight in the controls and the buttons; sure, a great deal of that isn’t always a good thing, but I always feel that the controls for “other consoles” offer a little bit more feeling to them. Sure, I don’t want to feel like I’m holding a heavy weight when using a motion controller for gaming, but I like to feel like I’m holding something, otherwise what’s the point in having the controller?

The PlayStation Move‘s tracking is impressive, however: impressive enough to go from a pointing device to access menus, to recognising fully-fledged motion and to even recognising orientation. The game’s on show at the Irish launch preview showcased that; but the games themselves left a little something to be desired.

Sports Champions showed off the most impressive usages of the controller within the one game, and we got to have a look at the game’s archery game, and also a gladiator-style battle, complete with sword and shield. Both of these games can be played with one controller, but for the full experience, get one in each hand and you’ve got the sword-and-shield/bow-and-arrow package.

If you can’t guess how gameplay works for both of those games, then you need to remind yourself exactly what a motion controller does, don’t you? The game follows each action through, from removing an arrow from your quiver to aiming at the target and firing. And hopefully hitting the target too…

The Shoot required a little less thought, and proved somewhat disappointing for me: an on-the-rails shooter, utilising the PlayStation Move controller as a pointer device for shooting various bad guys. It’s an interesting concept: The Shoot itself is both a shooting game and a reference to the fact that it is based around the making of various big-screen movies. Of course, the game also makes use of some of the controller’s motion control elements, and the graphics are impressive, but play itself isn’t too different from any number of Time Crisis games from way back when.

Equally, Start The Party highlighted some of the controller’s finer points, moving from pointing-to-gesture-based controls, and yet the gameplay itself was overly simplistic. For a party game, and one aimed at all ages, the games are fun and yet progress quickly enough to provide something of a challenge, but even then, it felt like it was lacking something. I’ll avoid the Nintendo comparison in this case, because we don’t need to look at other consoles, rather than just casting an eye back to the EyeToy on the PS2.

The Fight provides one of the most promising uses of the PlayStation Move, but this also highlights some of the disadvantages of the hardware involved. The use of two motion controllers proved a little bit confusing for some moments of the bare-knuckle fighting game (although I will admit we were playing very early code) and the lack of a sense of weight to the controllers did little to contribute to the feeling of being “in the game.” The game pits you in a series of bouts, but there’s no real reference point for you to gauge your opponent’s position, and punches may end up widely missing the mark.

We’ve already reviewed Heavy Rain when the game was released earlier this year: a downloadable patch will be available to add in Move compatibility, although navigating your character around the screen still requires the use of the navigation controller (although a standard SixAxis/DualShock 3 can also be used as well.) We got to see one scene of the game, an early interrogation and fight scene in a brothel, and having played the game with a traditional control scheme, there is little difference with the Move controls.

Unfortunately, I’ve a similar opinion of Kung Fu Rider, a game putting the player in control of a private detective, armed with office furniture in an interesting cross that incorporates elements of kart-racing games and the “fun” elements of the Tony Hawk franchise. Unfortunately, it’s a game that doesn’t really require Move controls: with a weird shake-to-accelerate control scheme, it does little to capture the necessary speed required for such games.

TV Superstars and an EyePet add-on were also on display at this event, although we didn’t get a chance to try out either game. SOCOM 4 and Killzone 3 are also promised for release next year, and both games will also include Move functionality: in this case, I’m reserving judgement until we’ve seen some more games like these. If PlayStation successfully manage to transfer some of the traditional gameplay associated with these action/shooter titles to the Move format, they’ll no doubt be successful, and with the games we’ve seen, they’ll certainly win over the casual market. Whether they’ll successfully manage to win over all those in between, we won’t see until the system launches in a few weeks’ time.

Sony PlayStation Move is launched in Ireland on September 17th, with worldwide release around that week. Some titles will be available from launch, with others expected later this year.

Bioshock Infinite looks like we’ll be getting some of the gameplay we’ve come to expect from the series so far: plasmids, at least one Big Daddy, airships, cities in the sky…em, okay. The game has been teased via the website whatisicarus.com and there’s nothing here that contradicts that subtitle at all: whether it’s the Greek myth of flying too close to the sun, or the pretty common interpretation that said flight is all about the quest for knowledge, that’s a pretty good reading for the philosophy behind the underwater city of Rapture, don’t you think?

For now, I’m nicknaming this one Skyoshock until we get more information though: I’d patent that name too, but I doubt it’s going to stick. Check the trailer below, and we’ll update with more information when we get it.

Despite having a small budget, the trailer below (via Trailer Addict and Apple) packs quite the punch with some really impressive effects and interesting shots. Between this, Monsters and Battle: Los Angeles, it looks like alien invasion movies are back with a bang.

Skyline is due for release November 12th this year.

That’s not all the Dead Rising 2 information that Capcom has been releasing as of late and those wanting to keep themselves entertained with tongue-in-cheek zombie action before the game’s release can check out Zombrex: Dead Rising Sun, a low budget live action web series from the game’s producer Keiji Iafune following the exploits of a band of survivors trying to survive both a zombie outbreak and each other.

And if that wasn’t enough to keep you busy before the game’s release players can also look forward to Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, an XBox Live downloadable prequel game set for release on September 3rd. Set three years before the events of Dead Rising 2, the game follows Chuck Green as he attempts to find a cure for his infected daughter. Not only will the game be a cheap 400 MS points but players will also be able to carry over all their experience and unlockables to the main game.

Dead Rising 2 is out September 24th on XBox 360 and Playstation 3.

Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is released September 3rd on XBox 360.

Now that those infidels have left us, here’s the thing:

Universal Pictures Ireland are running a Facebook competition? And in case you couldn’t tell what the prize is, it’s tickets to the Irish premiere of Scott Pilgrim vs The World, which will be held in Dublin next Monday, 16th August. Also, the cast and director will be there, just in case seeing the movie wasn’t enough for you.

You can enter the competition for tickets to the film that stars Michael Cera (ahem) here

Oh, and while you’re on Facebook, “like” the Hell out of BurnAllZombies here

Scott Pilgrim vs The World is due for release August 20th in the States and August 25th in the UK and Ireland.