The next iteration of the God of War series will include a multiplayer component, director Todd Papy announced on the US PlayStation blog today.

Nothing else is known about the mode at this juncture, other than it will be “brutal”, or so Sony claims.

“We wouldn’t do multiplayer in God of War unless we knew we could do it right,” said Papy.

 

In a given year, there's rarely any title that can claim to feature completely new intellectual property.

This is largely because most games are engineered to reuse the most successful and beneficial attributes of previous games, and likewise, many developers have their own styles that are inevitably embedded into their works.

Such is the case with Dishonored. Despite being set in the newly-minted city of Dunwall, and despite featuring an entirely fresh cast of characters, environments and – in particular – a vibrant art style, there's something ever so familiar about the game. Comparisons to Deus Ex are inevitable, given that designer Harvey Smith has secured a leading development role. Raphael Colantonio, head cheese at Arkane Studios is also on board, having previously had experience with Dark Messiah of Might and Magic and BioShock 2, the DNA of which is clearly apparent.

 

When asked if developer Crytek should necessarily be synonymous with pushing the limits of technology, senior creative director Rasmus Hojengaard is quick to offer a pragmatic explanation.

"I think we would probably be challenging some of Crytek's pillars if we didn't do that. The value you get from pushing these things is different now from what it was ten years ago.

"But it's part of our DNA. Even if people aren't conscious about doing it, it'll just happen anyway."

 

Of all the benefits attributed to DICE's Frostbite 2 engine, perhaps the most significant for future game development is the destructible environment functionality.

New engines come and go, boasting a range of improvements designed to amplify the visual splendour of whatever maps and locations developers wish to render, but most are designed to boost texture quality, and not necessarily improve the actual physical state of the environment.

Launched in 2008 with Battlefield: Bad Company, the first version of Frostbite included some fairly meagre wall destruction, alarming bricklayers but generally underwhelming everyone else. 2009's Battlefield 1943 saw additional features included with Frostbite 1.5 allowing complete structures to collapse, yet still Red Faction devotees chortled derisively at the series. Indeed, it wasn't really until Battlefield 3's release last year that the engine came on song in its full DirectX 11 glory, showcasing just what a bunch of mad Swedes and a hefty bankroll can accomplish.