Troika Games
Troika Games business and news from across the web.
Fallout co-creator Tim Cain once proposed a first-person time-travel RPG where you could assassinate historical figures…Fallout co-creator Tim Cain discussed 'Time Walker,' a first-person RPG concept he drafted at Troika Games in 2001. The ambitious proposal involved a 'temporal agent' traveling through time to assassinate historical figures and prevent reality from unraveling, with gameplay mechanics that would become easier as the timeline destabilized. The game was also envisioned for the Xbox with online multiplayer and an open-ended skill tree.- Bloodlines 2 Review – The mother of all wasted opportunities – GTOGGVampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 is a significant disappointment, failing to deliver on the RPG elements promised by its predecessor and instead offering a mediocre, linear action-adventure experience. Despite a visually appealing presentation of Seattle, the world feels sterile and lacks meaningful interaction, with shallow side quests and underdeveloped RPG mechanics. The combat system, while occasionally fun with supernatural abilities, is ultimately repetitive and hampered by awkward controls and enemies that feel like damage sponges.
Fallout co-creator hopes to "make one more game" before his second retirement from RPG developmentFallout co-creator Tim Cain has expressed a desire to develop one more RPG before retiring from the industry again. Cain, who has had a long career with companies like Interplay and Obsidian Entertainment, feels he is running out of topics for his YouTube channel and is currently working on an unannounced project at Obsidian.
"I think it’s unfair to kind of geofence the genre": Original Stalker designer talks Eurojank in not-so-Euro gamesOriginal S.T.A.L.K.E.R. designer Andrii Verpakhovskyi argues against geofencing the 'Eurojank' genre, stating that ambitious but imperfect games share a common soul regardless of their origin. He believes terms like 'Eurojank' can be unfairly used to categorize games and suggests a broader appreciation for the inherent imperfections in many beloved titles.
There's nothing 'euro' about 'eurojank,' says Stalker dev—after all, what are some of the 2000s' best RPGs if not beautiful all-American jankfests?Designer Andrii Verpakhovskyi argues that the term 'eurojank' unfairly limits the perception of ambitious, bug-ridden games to Europe, citing American-developed titles like Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines and Fallout as prime examples. He suggests that the creativity and experimental nature found in these games, often born from limited resources and inexperienced development teams, is a broader phenomenon. The discussion also touches on how modern platforms like Steam can stifle innovation by enforcing genre conventions.
These are my 20 RPG freak pick must-plays for $10 or less in the Steam Spring SaleThis guide highlights over 20 role-playing games available for $10 or less during the Steam Spring Sale, focusing on less obvious but highly recommended titles. It includes games like Arx Fatalis, Deus Ex: Invisible War, and Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, detailing their developers, release years, and unique selling points.
Cara Ellison, senior narrative designer on Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 before Paradox switched developers, discusses her love of Troika's original RPG: 'Everyone on the team helped really make that maximum goth'Narrative designer Cara Ellison discusses her favorite games and the importance of atmosphere and writing in game development. She highlights Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines as a personal favorite and discusses her current work on Sleight of Hand. Ellison also touches on the challenges of narrative tools in game engines like Unreal Engine.