TRON Sequel Given Green, Pulsing Light
It's taken 25 years, but Disney's classic TRON looks like it's a go for sequel. Rather than joining the rest of the internerd in giddy shrieking, I have an honest-to-god question: Has anyone played that TRON 2.0 first person shooter? I heard varying things about it, but I wouldn't mind taking it out for a spin.
When making the original, in order to convince the studio to take a chance on a first-time director, Lisberger shot a test reel, financed by the studio, involving the deadly Frisbee battle. In a case of historical synchronicity, sources said one of the things Kosinski will be doing is working on a sequence involving the movie's Light Cycles to work out his vision for the movie. Sources also said visual effects personnel, for many of whom "Tron" was an inspiration to enter the business, already are jockeying for pole position to work on the sequence.
New 'Tron' races on [HollywoodReporter.com]
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I've played, and still have, Tron 2.0. It's actually a pretty fun game. I'm sure a lot of hardcore gamers though it too simple, but I love the disc mechanics, the storyline is good, and it's as true to the universe as an upgrade can get.
Honestly? I thought the controls were a bit sketchy, but the story beneath it was really good. The ending left a lot of hooks that could have made a sequel interesting (TRON 2.5?)
I never read the 2.0 comic that SLG was putting out, but the preview pages also looked nice.
If you're really interested in it, you can get it pretty easily at half price books or similar discount stores. (I couldn't find my old copy recently, and wanted to play it again, and found it at a HPB for $5.)
My advice is to play it with cheat codes on, get the story (especially all the little emails!) and enjoy yourself without having to worry about the sometimes skosh controls.
B.Z.A. is right-on.
If you loved Tron (the movie) you'll love the game. It's got its quirks, but the world inside the computer is lovingly rendered in high-Tron-style.
If you're just looking for a good FPS, it's got some System Shock / BioShock type power-up elements, and some oddball weapons, but there are better shooters in the world.
Me, I've wanted to walk around inside that neon-digitial metropolis since I was fourteen, so every minute of game-play was glorious.
The year it came out, it was all I could play for a long time. It was decent length, but I was so sad when I reached the end. I can't wait for 2.5 -- and now the movie!
A few years back Syd Mead (concept designer of Tron, the Tron game, Bladerunner, etc. google him) gave a lecture at Columbia in Chicago. He was asked about what was happening with Tron2 the movie (which he was just previously working on designs for) and he said that they shut down production because the game failed. (Great Hollywood logic at work!) Im glad to see the production getting going, I just hope Syd is still involved.
Seeing Tron at the Arclight in LA followed by Q+A with Lisberger and co. was a highlight for my geek self.
I liked Tron 2.0 quite a bit. Not the hardest game...I doubt you'll need cheat codes. But honestly, reading a bit of the walkthrough before playing will REALLY help make the game more fun (you can screw yourself by not picking the level ups in the right order).
That jives with most of the commentary I've heard, guys. Thanks! I wish they had it on Steam; I've started to get really spoiled by that service.
Around 1982, I bought a production cell from the original Tron movie. It is black on a clear substrate. It's framed with a sheet of silver Mylar behind the cel and looks very cool.
I bought another one a couple years later and gave it to one of my brothers. Especially with a new movie coming out, I now wish I'd kept it.
If the new movie is good, I might be able to sell mine and make some serious bucks! Production cels for traditional animation have become quite expensive -- I hope the same is true for my Tron cel.
I've never played the game, but it sounds cool. I just rented the movie again. Great classic. Now I hear they're remaking the film. If they do, I hope they have a good soundtrack. There is this guy on myspace who could create some great scores for the new film. He goes by the name, Kromaticman.
Joel if you are still on the fence I could see if we have any floating around and send one to you. I was the Lead Artist on the game, and it was a great experience working with Mr. Mead. The biggest kicker was that right after the project we were told the Jean Giraud (Moebius) was dissapointed he wasn't asked to help work on the game. We had no clue he wanted to work on it, and we screamed at Disney for weeks about the error.
Matthew, I would definitely be interested! I'm sure I'm not the only one who might like to be regaled with your tales about working with Mr. Mead, too. For some reason I can't pull your email out of the system, but if you'd be so kind as to ping me at joel@bb.net (expand that address using your mind) I'd love to take it for a whirl.