Happy holidays from Evolution Studios

The Motorstorm team here at Evolution Studios has had a fantastic year and would like to thank you all for your support and to wish you success and happiness in everything that you do in 2013!
While the magic of the holiday season hangs pleasantly in the air for a little while longer, we’d like to take a short while to reflect on the games – and the most outstanding gaming moments – that we’ve experienced and shared with each other over the course of the past year.
Please join in and share your gaming stories with us and each other!

I’ll start by sharing three of my gaming highlights from 2012…

• The entire experience of Journey was mesmerising and the finale was beautiful and profound: [Journey SPOILER! Highlight to view] becoming one of the shooting stars I had journeyed to discover.
• I doubled my collection of Platinum Trophies this year. Six of my 1,433 Trophies are Platinum after adding: “It’s All Relative” from Gravity Rush and the “Lunatics Unite” Double Platinum from MotorStorm RC. ;-)
• The shocking discovery inside the Imperial Palace Hotel in Max Payne 3 and the climactic rampage to stop the perpetrators that followed was incredibly powerful and uncomfortable in equal measure; I’ve only ever experienced anything like it at the cinema but it’s an interesting example of how visceral games can be.

Dave Hewitt, Senior Programmer, shares a powerful moment from Journey:
Around halfway through my Journey, travelling through the ruins on the way up the mountain, my companion was blown off the side. I immediately experienced a sense of gut-wrenching loss, and without stopping to consider my actions, I leapt off the side after them.
I had absolutely no idea what would happen, whether this would result in my death, or whether I’d even be able to meet them again – all I knew was that this other individual was integral to my journey and I couldn’t bear to be separated from them. Fortunately we both landed on a ledge just out of view, and we made our way up the mountain together again, but I’ve never had a game inspire me to such unthinking self-sacrifice before.
Zoe Collier, QA Manager, describes her first time venturing into the dungeons of Guild Wars 2, alongside a small army of guys from Evolution:
Joe: So what we need to do here is….
Nathan: CHAAAARRRGGGEEEE!!
Everyone else: “Is he..? Is that a TROLL!?”
Then everyone died, it was brilliant.
Nathan was Naked by the last boss (best not to ask) but we all made it through for epic Loots.
Dom Clarke, Audio Technician, reflects on two stand-out moments…
Realising that I could steal enemy bullets out of the air when I’d frozen time in Dishonored, to then use them in my own weapons to fire straight back at them! Killing enemies with their own bullets! It was rarely practical to do so, but the realisation that I could was a moment I’ll never forget.
Putting together a painstakingly perfect lap on MotorStorm RC was equally unforgettable. I shot straight to the top of the worldwide leaderboards – where I stayed for approximately two hours…

Matt Southern, Studio Game Director, was in no doubt about his favourite PS3 game…
Even if it had launched to a lukewarm reception, I would have picked up The Walking Dead anyway, given that I’ve read every issue of the comics and absolutely love the TV show. So to discover that Telltale Games has taken all its experience in point-and-click adventures, combined it with writing of the highest calibre and absolutely nailed episodic interactive drama was easily my highlight of the year.
Right from the start when Lee is being driven to prison it’s clear that we’re dealing with a game that is ‘mature’ in all the right ways. Complex characterisations, fantastic dialogue, heart-breaking decisions, and terrifying ‘Walkers’ combine to, in my opinion, move the medium of games forward a step. If you think the last thing you need is another zombie game, just give this one a try.

Please reflect on your favourite gaming moments of 2012 and share them with us…!