http://www.sammystudios.com/games/darkwatch/

Darkwatch Gets Dedicated Site
By Mike Meikle -- News Writer
Published 10:30 AM CDT, January 21, 2004

Sammy Studios launches website for its upcoming game Darkwatch: Curse of the West.

Darkwatch: Curse of the West, to be released in Q4, now has a dedicated website. The site contains press releases, trailers and general information on the title. Gamers can also register with Sammy Studios for e-mail news updates on the game's development process.

In Darkwatch: Curse of the West gamers step into the shoes of Jericho Cross, an outlaw gunslinger who ran afoul of a vampire lord and now works for the Darkwatch. The Darkwatch is a secret organization whose unblinking eye watches for evil perpetrated against man. Cross is on a mission is to cleanse the West of the vampire undead and, in the process, slay the vampire who infected him.

Jericho Cross has access to a deadly assortment of enhanced Western weapons and Darkwatch technology, which he can use to slay his foes. With his undead horse at his side, Cross will explore massive environments and face enemies and NPCs that will react to a player's reputation.

» Mike Meikle

Sammy Selects Havok 2 Engine
By James Brightman -- News Manager
Published 2:16 PM CDT, January 21, 2004

The gaming physics solution is apparently becoming more and more popular among developers...

Havok 2 has been adopted as the dynamics engine of choice by Sammy Studios Inc. After a lengthy technical evaluation and review, Sammy Studios became the latest publisher to sign up with the industry leading physics middleware developer. Their upcoming title "Darkwatch: Curse of the West" will be Sammy Studios' first release implementing Havok 2 physics.

Havok's innovative technology is gaining industry wide traction as developers find it to be a mature and stable dynamics solution with strong support. The gaming press has also recognized Havok with recent awards including the just announced 2003 Game Developer Magazine Frontline Award for Best Game Component, and Computer Graphics World Magazine's 2003 Innovation Award. Havok has received two consecutive Frontline Awards, its first in 2002.

Recent titles that shipped containing Havok 2 game dynamics include Max Payne 2, Deus Ex Invisible War, URU, and Crash Nitro Cart.

"Havok provides us with a state-of-the-art physics engine, enabling us the freedom to focus on gameplay. Gaming Physics is an absolute prerequisite for our upcoming titles. The team at Havok is really listening to our requirements and needs, and they're delivering not only a great out-of-the-box product, but an architecture we can build on for the future. Great support, quick integration and seeing results made Havok the obvious choice for our next generation infrastructure."
Dave Wagner, CTO, Sammy Studios

"When I saw the Havok 2 preview my immediate reaction was that these guys are taking physics in the right direction. We started our evaluation just after it went gold at GDC '03, during which our team was able to get the initial integration up and running within a day. All of my expectations were exceeded, particularly by their exceptional Developer Relations team. We're looking forward to leveraging Havok's technology and support for the type of high-caliber, immersive games that we're developing internally here."
Clinton Keith, Lead Programmer, Engine and Tools Group

"Sammy Studios are developing challenging and groundbreaking titles and we are very proud to be part of that effort. Havok physics allows great developers to deliver even higher levels of interactive gameplay; it really blows us away to see what can be done when our technology gets into the hands of those guys."
Steven Collins, CTO, Havok

» James Brightman

Sammy Gamer Day: Darkwatch Details
By Bryan Dawson -- Staff Writer
Published 9:45 PM CDT, March 3, 2004

More information on Sammy's upcoming Darkwatch Vampire-Western has emerged from their recent media event.

Earlier this year, Sammy Studios announced a new Vampire-Western first person shooter heading to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox this holiday season. Dubbed, Darkwatch, the new title follows Jericho Cross, an outlaw gunslinger pulled into the ranks of the Darkwatch strike-force by an unfortunate close encounter with a vampire lord. To save the West, and his own soul from damnation, Jericho must hunt the vampire through an American frontier now overrun by his evil minions. Yesterday at Sammy Gamer Day, new details were revealed about the upcoming title.

- Blast through a frightening re-imagination of the Wild West, with explosive FPS action framed by a cinematic storyline, and exceptional art and design work inspired by both Vampire-Horror and Western genres

- Unique weapons, powerful assault vehicles, horse-mounted gunfighting and special vampire abilities bring new depth to FPS gameplay in both single and multiplayer

- Take the "un" out of "undead" in a variety of ways with a wide assortment of "Darkwatch-enhanced" weapons, including pistols, rifles, shotguns, rocket-launchers, dynamite and even weapon-specific melee attacks

- Experience a "living west" with massive seamless worlds, non-linear missions and dynamic enemy and NPC A.I. driven by a reputation and experience system

- Location-specific damage brings precision to gunplay - tear the undead to pieces, or taunt the pesky living by shooting off hats or making them dance to your bullets

- Online multiplayer capability with unique maps and original game modes
» Bryan Dawson