Sega have issued a press release on their video-game adaptation of The Golden Compass movie today – the game of the movie of the book. The release says that players will “assume the role of Lyra” and also “take on the character of Iorek Byrnison, a great armoured polar bear who joins the quest.” Players will be able to “use their daemon and collaborate with in-game characters, collecting special items in order to explore, evade, and deceive their way through confrontations with the Gobblers, the Magisterium, and the horribly dangerous spy fly to find her friend.”
“They can also do battle as Iorek with special attacks and a riding mechanic as he protects Lyra during the journey. Gamers will be able to unlock secrets and mini-games using a mysterious, truth-telling golden compass device called an alethiometer. Players can explore 13 vast locations, including all-new breath-taking environments not seen in the film, on this massive journey of collaboration, exploration and the eternal struggle between good and evil.”
The main piece of information in the press release is that Shiny Entertainment will be developing the game within Sega. It also affirms that the game will be released for a plethora of consoles: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii, Playstation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS and PC. The full press release is below. A new concept art image was also released alongside the screenshots: you can view it in our movie gallery.
Official website: http://www.goldencompassgame.com
Screenshots: (thanks Gabe!)
SEGA Reveals Details of The Golden Compass Video Game
Leading Interactive Entertainment Company to Publish Game Based on Highly Anticipated Theatrical Release from New Line Cinema
SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SEGA® of America Inc. and SEGA® Europe Ltd. today revealed details regarding the development of the video game adaptation of the highly anticipated theatrical release, The Golden Compass, based on the first book in the award-winning trilogy, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. The game is being developed for multiple platforms and will ship in fall 2007, just prior to the opening of the New Line Cinema motion picture on December 7, 2007. Featuring pivotal environments from the movie, the vivid characters are brought to interactive life, featuring the likenesses of the movie’s impressive cast, which includes Daniel Craig as Lord Asriel and newcomer Dakota Blue Richards as Lyra Belacqua.
Produced by New Line Cinema and Scholastic Media, The Golden Compass follows the screenplay adaptation of the first book in the acclaimed trilogy, capturing the exciting fantasy adventure set in a parallel world where giant armored bears rule a kingdom, beautiful witches fly through the frozen skies, and human beings’ deepest essence is manifest as talking animals that remain their faithful companion for life – their daemon. Players can assume the role of Lyra, a young girl, along with her daemon Pantalaimon (Pan), as she journeys through the frozen wastes of the North to rescue a friend kidnapped by a mysterious organization known as The Gobblers and winds up on an epic quest to save not only her world, but ours as well. Gamers can also take on the character of Iorek Byrnison, a great armoured polar bear who joins the quest.
As Lyra, players will use their daemon and collaborate with in-game characters, collecting special items in order to explore, evade, and deceive their way through confrontations with the Gobblers, the Magisterium, and the horribly dangerous spy fly to find her friend. They can also do battle as Iorek with special attacks and a riding mechanic as he protects Lyra during the journey. Gamers will be able to unlock secrets and mini-games using a mysterious, truth-telling golden compass device called an alethiometer. Players can explore 13 vast locations, including all-new breath-taking environments not seen in the film, on this massive journey of collaboration, exploration and the eternal struggle between good and evil.
This epic tale will be brought to the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the Wii™ video game system, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, the Nintendo DS™, and the PC for holiday 2007.
The Golden Compass video game is being developed by Shiny Entertainment, best known for developing games based on the blockbuster The Matrix film franchise. Shiny was acquired by Foundation 9 Entertainment in October 2006. The Nintendo DS version is being developed by A2M
I hope the Wii one involves some proper wavey Wiimoting. Their 'eternal struggle between good and evil' sounds a bit worrying, like the game will be very black and white; who is wrong and who isn't, which i don't think it's like in the books.
I think we can say with some degree of certainty that this will suck.
umm yeah.
it kinda really disappoints me that i'm so incredibly excited about this. wow, i'm such a nerd.
🙂 wow, thats kl
but shame that i only spend little time on the comp and most time in town :crying:………………
Sounds like your generic action/adventure Zelda rip off. Which is not surprising.
Hey! dont no wot im commeting on but im writting this 2 get the message out that i am a member of the ruplic of heaven forum the hellogoodbyedonotcry person nd cant log on! So despratley trying to answer nd ask questions bout HDM but cant so and BELIEVE me i am dying inside bcoz i cant! so just sayin that if u think i sound weird enough of something enough for u to wann atlk email me so i can tlk about theese books bcoz they have changed my life but ive got no one 2 tlk 2 it about and itz killin me!
good bye
nd HELP ME!
u people probally have more in coomon with me than my closets friends
x
Well…at least they got a fairly major developer to do it. I really didn't expect to recognize the developer name for the HDM game.
I really wish the game was a RPG (cause SEGA makes so great RPGs), but i guess it will be an action-game as Lord of the Rings game was :wassat: (though it can be awesome on Wii)
im going to say im excited but not at the same time…i guess its because i cant wait for it to come out but im prepared that its gonna suck…arg!im soo confused of my feelings!
'battle as Iorek with special attacks and a riding mechanic as he protects Lyra during the journey.'
What the eff is the 'riding mechanic'??? I don't recall reading that in the book… :wassat:
fark ther goes a generation of ppl who will think the book sux coz of the gamezz .. & its good reputaion .. :crying: :angry:
there are so many possibilites! your daemon can transform into so many things to attack for protection, to find things in small openings, i wish the nintendo company would create the game (the creators of zelda)…i'm getting a wii definitely now, for twilightprincess and avatar and this!
Heads up, Shacknews has some screenshots and artwork:
http://www.shacknews.com/screens.x/goldencompass/The+Golden+Compass/
http://www.shacknews.com/screens.x/goldencompass/The+Golden+Compass/1/art/070227_goldencompass_art_01.jpg
Article:
http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/45923
Haha, I don't think the people who will think it sucks if the game does would even think to read the book in the first place :wink:! If anything they'll just think the movie sucks, which isn't too big a deal, since it's the books that are the real deal here anyway.
Oops, Silvertongue, I didn't want that to be like I was laughing at you; I was just laughing at how sad society has become, and the lack of imagination in our younger generations. No offense was meant!! (I just read it and it sounded snarky, so I'm apologizing in advance :smile:).
wow, screenshots look awesome.
i really like how they made Iorek, just as I imagined (thank god that polar bears generally look the same)
but seriously, the armor is good, i like it
I hope they hang their heads in shame
:crying: :crying: :crying: :crying:
I think it might be crap or asome!? Thats not enough info to make me by it though (i have a Wii WoOt)
:wassat:
I didn't swear :laughing:
I hope there's something like the map from the first screenshot in the movie, that would be a nice touch.
As for the game, well, it doesn't look really impressive, but it could end up being kind of fun..
eg. harry potter !! ol my friendzz hate the moovies so they hate the bookz !!
What the eff is 'a riding mechanic' ???
I don't recall that in the book…
'They can also do battle as Iorek with special attacks and a riding mechanic as he protects Lyra during the journey.'
I feel ill…
Shan, a mechanic in this context refers to a gameplay mechanic, which is the way in which a certain part of the gameplay works. So the riding mechanic is the way the riding gameplay element works, not some weird guy with greasy clothes riding with Lyra and Iorek. 😉
I think that you will be pleasantly surprised by the outcome of the game.
The screenshots are still pretty early and only represent a narrow snapshot of what is yet to come. I will also add that they are not heavily photoshop'd like most of the screenshots publishers put out there, so what you're seeing is the "real deal".
And yes, a lot of time is being put specifically into making the Wii controls something special.
-SG
…Cool, books are my life, but videogames are not.
It looks like Sega has posted some information about the game on their web site: http://www.sega.com/games/game_temp.php?game=goldencompass&id=hp_sp
They say there will be levels in the game that are not from the movie. I wonder what those are? The site has some new screen shots too!