LEC's 'RTX Red Rock' released [PS2]

http://www.lucasarts.com/products/rtx/

Press Release
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. -- May 7, 2002 -- 100 years in the future Red Rock, mankind's first colony on Mars, is besieged by a brutal alien force and military leaders on faraway Earth are stymied ? so they call on Radical Tactics Expert (RTX) Eugene Zeno "E.Z." Wheeler as their best hope in RTX Red Rock from LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC. RTX Red Rock is an epic third-person action-adventure expected to release spring 2003 on PlayStation 2 and Nintendo® GameCube.

Radical Tactics Experts, who evolved out of the military's special forces, are the smartest and toughest members of the armed services, uniquely known for their strategic thinking, adaptability, and pure military muscle. Individuals from this elite unit are trained for insertion into undefined combat situations where even a small team is too large and unwieldy. In RTX Red Rock players immerse themselves into the role of Wheeler, who engages in fierce tactical combat, investigates mysterious, foreboding environments, and solves challenging puzzles to reclaim the Red Rock colony on Mars.

[image=http://www.lucasarts.com/products/rtx/images/screens/4.jpg]

The game begins when Wheeler embarks on a reconnaissance mission to Mars' inner moon, Phobos, to monitor the movements of the L.E.D.s, a ruthlessly hostile alien species who have ransacked the colony. The expectation is that everyone is dead. Upon arrival, Wheeler picks up a distress call from Cimmeria Rajan, Red Rock's young and beautiful Chief Colony Officer. Contrary to the military's worst fears, she and a handful of others survived the alien invasion. Wheeler quickly descends to the planet's surface for a sustained rescue operation that challenges him to swim through underground waterways, cross Mars' frozen deserts, penetrate the colony ruins, and sneak into alien ships, battling L.E.D.s at every turn. "RTX Red Rock follows in the tradition of classic award-winning original games from LucasArts such as Grim Fandango(, The Dig(, and Full Throttle(," says Tom Byron, director of product marketing for LucasArts. "We know players will quickly welcome E.Z. Wheeler into the LucasArts family of heroes, as this game perfectly blends them with a rich, compelling story and gripping game play." Action in RTX Red Rock is distinguished by Wheeler's unique mechanized abilities, granted to him through a series of medical operations to mend previous combat injuries. Wheeler's synthetic right arm is both tool and weapon, upgradeable to grappling hook, taser, grenade launcher, and more. Likewise, his synthetic left eye is sensitive to special wavelengths and can be used to locate and target hidden aliens, identify traps, and uncover power-ups throughout the game's 10 levels. State-of-the-art computer techniques allow LucasArts to blend realism and fantasy, bringing players to the planet Mars in a way never before possible. Joining Wheeler in this treacherous adventure is his faithful digital sidekick IRIS (Independent Removable Information System). IRIS is a portable computer module with an impudent female personality. When inserted into standard ports on various robots and control panels she comes to chattering life and, guided by the player, helps Wheeler solve his problems. Utilizing control of IRIS for portions of the game, players directly command robots, Martian rovers, and other highly maneuverable alien craft. RTX Red Rock also will feature a two-player split-screen multiplayer mode for head-to-head battles, capture the flag tournaments, and exhilarating races in some of the game's many vehicles.

 

[kirk]Sounds like Fun[/kirk]

 

That screenshot looks eerily similar to something out of Star Trek Voyager: Elit Force. That character looks a lot like Munroe or whatever his name was too.

 

Ewwwww....

 

to monitor the movements of the L.E.D.s, a ruthlessly hostile alien species who have ransacked the colony.

Aargh. The L.E.D.s are attacking;

[image=http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:JVJ_9lqGstYC:www.nichia.com/led/led-photo.jpg]


Aargh. The LEDs are attacking;

[image=http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn5R1TrA0-NoC:www.takeanumber.com/uncleray/73stage%2520Led%2520Zep.jpg]

 

Ahem. Sorry about that.

So, no development partners, eh?

Can anyone say "Obi-Wan Engine"...

 

THAT was intriguing.

 

Graphics look very Quake 3'ish to me.

 

wha? the graphics on that game are about 100x times different from Quake 3.

 

Hi everyone, my name is Reeve and I'm LucasArts' Producer on RTX Red Rock. Thanks so much for all your interest in the game. After working on the game in secret for the past year, the team has been watching the response to our announcement with a lot of interest. Based on your comments I wanted to write and briefly address the question regarding the engine being used in RTX.

RTX Red Rock is built on the Ares game engine, LucasArts' own brand new internal technology for making cutting-edge third person games.

The Ares engine provides very high quality character animation, smooth gameplay, and some fantastic new graphics features. One of the rendering effects actually won the programmer the top prize in Sony's first VU coding competition.

What will players notice? Look for round edges (not just smooth-shaded), bumpy surfaces (not just bump-mapped!) and some cool high temerature screen effects. Above all, though, the Ares engine gives RTX Red Rock a nice, smooth feel for the player.

Sure, you probably won't think I'm being objective when I say it, but this engine rocks.

We hope you end up agreeing with us, and enjoy the game when it comes out in the Spring!

Take care,
Reeve

 

OMG HELLO!!!


Whats it like working on a cutting edge game?

IM SO EXCITED PLZ POST HERE MORE!

 

Whoa, sweet. Glad you dropped by! It's great to have some guys talking back to the community.

By any chance, will there be a force boat in the game? I don't know if you're ever around him pr not, but Mr. Gaber knows what we're talking about.

 

Yes, please include a FORCEBOAT.


We would love your forever and do nice things for you, anything.. we mean anything.

 

Ohh

Now I feel like a right tool for the LED jokes and the Obi-Wan engine comment.

So, Reevis. Any chance of a PC port someday down the line?

EDIT: And yeah, I've already put in the VIP request to the Admins!

 

GOB DAMMIT JP GET OFF YOUR ARSE(hehe brit word sounds funnier) AND MAKE TEH MAN A VIP!!!!!!


And I always feel like a ass its a nice warm feeling

 

GOOD JOB!

 

I especially like the bumpy surfaces part.

 

I hope it turns out a good game.
When is it going to be realeased?

 

! He is a vip now!

 

I would like a forceboat. Yes, please talk to Mr. Gaber about it.



So, will this be sorta of like Grim Fandango and Monkey Island humorwise?

 

Sithman;
I would like a forceboat. Yes, please talk to Mr. Gaber about it.

Thank the maker that Bib isn't around to react to that.

So, will this be sorta of like Grim Fandango and Monkey Island humorwise?

Where do you get that idea? From what I see & read it doesn't look like a humourous title at all. (But no doubt it will contain those nod-nod-wink-wink Lucas in-jokes).

 

JP, I was in no way trying to get a reaction from Bib. Geez! I even tried to make things up with him but he didn't want to. I just think it's rad that LEC has actually used a saying that started here in the JC Games section and it'd be cool if they used it again. Okay?



As far as the humor, um, Grim Fandango was set in the land of the dead with people rebelling against a government.... And it had some witty stuff in there.

Why not with RTX?

 

Gamespot's E3 "RTX Red Rocks" report.

 

[image=http://www.lucasarts.com/products/rtx/images/screens/11.jpg]
"To infinity... and BEYOND!".



Actually, the new trailer is pretty cool. Hope we get a few ports of this game to other systems.

 

What about that humorous action game? That screenshot looks pretty humorous to me.