Joe Tung's New Zealand Interview


Stuff's Gerard Campbell is a bit of a gaming nut - and as all gaming nuts do - they have interviews with Joe Tung - whom Halo fans will know as one of the pieces of glue at Bungie Studios. Here's a taste of the article.

"Ask Bungie's Joseph Tung whether Halo Reach is the best Halo game the company has made, and you can almost see him mulling the questions over in his head.

Tung, executive producer on Reach, pauses before answering: "It's sort of like asking a parent which of your children do you like the most. I'm personally extremely proud of Halo Reach. I think it's without a doubt the most ambitious game we've ever done at Bungie."

Tung is in New Zealand showcasing Bungie Studios' last game in the Halo universe, Reach - and the game has just gone gold, meaning it's ready for production and will be in the hands of Halo fans in a matter of weeks. Having the game finished is a huge relief for Tung, who believes Reach shows Bungie going out with a "big bang".

For those unfamiliar with the Halo story, Reach is the planet where the cybernetically engineered soldiers called Spartans were born, the most famous of them being the Master Chief.

Reach doesn't feature Master Chief, though, and tells the story of the fall of Reach after a surprise attack at the hands (or is that mandibles?) of the alien Covenant, shown from the viewpoint of Spartan III soldier, Noble six. Tung said Reach begins slowly to create a sense of mystery, building on the foundations of previous Halo titles.

After the demonstration, Tung told me he believed Reach was the best of Halo 1, 2, 3 and Halo ODST in one package "and that's not bulls***. I believe that personally".

Tung says Bungie worked hard to make Reach feel like a "real lived-on planet" and has a level of graphical detail that is far superior to that of Halo 3, including facial and character animation which he says is a marked improvement on those in Halo 3 and for the first time, Bungie used motion capture for the in-game cinematics."

  Check out the full interview here. Follow Gerard at GamejunkieNZ. Follow halo reach game news on Twitter!

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