TGH writes:
"It usually takes a small army to create the video games that we play, and, most of the time, all of the focus gets put on the game itself, and not on the people that came together to make it. Our Dev Box interview series takes a look at some of the unsung heroes that have committed their lives to entertaining all of us. In this week's expanded Dev Box we are letting Phantom EFX's CEO Aaron Schuman provide us some insight into who he is as a gamer, and how he ended up working in the game's industry.
Name: Aaron Schurman
Title: CEO
Company: Phantom EFX
Job Description: I do game conception, design and writing
First title worked on: "Reel Deal Casino"
Most recent title worked on: "Darkest of Days"
What game has most influenced you, and why?
I would have to say "Medal of Honor." The first time I was thrown on the beaches of Normandy, it was magical. No game before that had put you into an environment like that in an FPS view. The beaches were pretty barren, and the explosions ground my frame rate to super-slow because of technology at the time, but it didn't matter – I was there, I was scared, and I had a job to do! That's when I first came up with the idea for "Darkest of Days" thinking, "Wow, wouldn't it be great to have a game that took you to multiple places like this?"
What are you playing right now?
"Darkest of Days"! I think I am on play-through #10,580. If I can get one more in, I get a free copy I am told, so I am holding out for that. It's funny, even playing it as much as I have, it still gives me some pretty crazy fantasies about what time-travel must be like, and all the things you could do.
What was your first break in the games industry?
I actually created the break myself. I started my..."
When gamers think about first person shooter games, there’s a slew of titles that instantly come to mind. These games place the player in the action and they become immersed in the game with heart-pounding gameplay dynamics. Sure, there’s a ton of great first person shooter games out there, but there’s a lot of companies that have tried to cash in on first person shooters. In other words, for every good first person shooter game out there, there’s a bad first person shooter game. On this list, are the worst of the worst when it comes to first person shooters.
Backlog Quest is a month long special event on Clearance Bin Review featuring daily game reviews of the games that have sat on the shelf for simply too long; old and new.
From Day 17 – Darkest of Days, Tristan Rendo writes, "I’d be a bold face liar if I said I hadn’t ever though about time traveling back to the days of ancient Rome with an assault rifle. Where my advanced weaponry would make me king. Darkest of Days finally let me live out this brief, sociopathic fantasy if but for a fleeting moment; and that is all that counts right?
Well, not really, but it is still kind of cool."
Game Revolution writes: "If you're looking for a game that has you shooting Civil War survivors, WWI veterans, Roman infantry, and while we're at it, some Native Americans (which is half of my heritage... I shot my peoples!), then boy, do I have a game for you. Darkest of Days puts you in the shoes of a Civil War soldier that fought in the battle of Little Bighorn or Custard's Last Stand. At the last minute before your unfailing doom, you are rescued by a Spartan that pulls you into a womb-like object that sends you hurling through time and space. You reach your final destination in a waiting room from hell to be greeted by the stroke patient that is your supposed time partner and a visual user interface with creepy eyes and a fake pompous-ass British accent."
"Where do you look for inspiration?"
"This is an easy one, God."
Ugh.