300: March to Glory, published by Eidos and developed by Collision Studios, is looking to break the mold of movie based games by providing more than the usual fare for the PSP. The videogame, based on the movie which was based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller, tries to capture the look and feel of both its influences. While technically an action game, the developers have promised that it won't be a button masher but a more tactical affair.

In the game, you will play as King Leonidas, leading 300 Spartan men against the Persians. You and your men will be equipped with standard Spartan fare - a shield, a sword, and a spear. You will be needing all three as the Persians, led by Xerxes, send their cavalry, footmen, the immortals (the elite fighting force of the Persians), and even various beasts against your men.

The movie and book had spectacular visuals that have captivated fans of both genres. 300: March to Glory has a lot to live up to given the high bar both (movie and book) have set. Check out the new screenshots and see if it's lives up to expectations.

  

Spartans! For the rest of the screenshots check the full article.

The last time Zach Snyder hogged the QJ limelight, his directed-movie, 300, has not yet conquered movie houses. Now, during WonderCon, GamePro was able to chat with the director about 300 (the movie and the PlayStation Portable game), the Watchmen (the film and a possible game), and Gears of War (the game, not a future movie or something along that line). Well, the first question that was asked to him, is "are you a gamer?" And this is his witty reply:

I am a gamer! Right now I'm playing Gears of War, which I like a lot. I play it with my son, which is bad parenting I know

Then, the Gears of War talk ended there. He was next asked if he had any input on 300: March to Glory for the PSP. He said that he collaborated with the game developers (Collision Studios) with regards to the look and feel of the game. He shares that he somewhat found it funny that the developers aren't used to a movie director being interested in a video game. He also shares that gaming might have positively affected the way he makes and looks at movies.

He also divulged that Watchmen, his upcoming movie, is going great. They are working real hard on it and there are talks that there might be a Watchmen game coming up. He mentions that if ever that pushes through, he wants a game "that will not only expand the experience of the movie but also an irreverent game that would have the feel of the movie. Scenarios in the game would have to have the same type of cultural commentary that the movie will have."

 

When the writer/director of the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures film, 300, Zack Snyder was asked by Yahoo Video Games, about his intentions of churning out a game based on his adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel, he had this to say:

At first I wanted to do a larger platform game, but it takes a while for the Hollywood machine to pull a trigger on something like that. ...We wanted to do Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but everyone has in mind what they want to do with marketing and everything. By the time they get around to pulling the trigger and they want a day and date with the movie, we ended up with the PSP. I'm completely happy with the game we made. I think it's cool.

So there you have it folks, the reason for why 300: March to Glory ended up on the PSP.

What's nice about the PSP game, is that Snyder was very involved with the development of the game. It seems that Snyder actually played through the game, and worked closely with Collision Studios to ensure that the game retains the organic low-tech feel that the movie has.

A specific example of Snyder's influence on the game would be the waving capes on the characters in the game. Despite the fact that Collision could've used the memory (used for the waving capes) on other things, they tried their best to ensure that Snyder's vision for 300 is still there.

 

Before we go, if you're curious about what other graphic novel Snyder chosen to bring to the world of the cinema and video games. Here's a little teaser:

The next movie I'm working on is Watchmen. ...Because of my experience with 300, we've been talking about doing a big game for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 that's consistent with the movie's satire. It can't be just a straight-forward game. It has to be more sophisticated, like the movie is. That's the kind of challenge we face when you make a game from a movie.

Alan Moore's Ozymandias in an Xbox 360 game? Sign me up.

We've treated you guys to a whole bunch of 300: March to Glory video footage recently - an interview with Frank Miller, a trailer, and the whole slew of gameplay development. Some of you guys (that includes me) might be excited for the movie that's to come out in a matter of weeks. But how different will the video game be? After all, it's based on a movie that's based on a piece of literature.

From what we've seen of other movie- or book-ported games, that sort of thing could be a hit-or-miss. Either it's a really good adaptation, or a sloppy remake. However, given more screenshots below, the game looks like it could actually work out for everyone. For one, the gameplay looks intense. The other, it seems that the "cinematics" do capture the graphic novel feel of the story. Check 'em out for yourself (the rest are behind the "Full Article" link below!). The game gets released this March.

The rest of the screens await behind the "Full Article".

Aaaand we're not done with the 300: March to Glory updates just yet. After bringing you the hack and slash gameplay vid and Frank Miller's Multimedia sources 101 video interview just a few hours ago, we're back with yet another one which basically discusses how 300: March to Glory will differ from all the other PSP games out in the market right now.

One of the main things tackled in the interview is how they were able to pull off power boosts and level ups in the absence of magical spells and mystical whatnots. And this is exactly what the Wrath System is all about, everytime you successfully land a blow on your enemies, you're able to draw energies like healing, power boosts, etc. But don't take our word for it, hear it straight from the Collision Studios folks themselves by hitting the play button above.

When it comes to developing games, do you think an originally-graphic-novelist can meet the gaming industry's standards? Well, for Frank Miller, author of the "Sin City" graphic novels, helping out in the development of 300: March to Glory had its own learnings and important revelations about the differences and similarities of media.

In the interview above, Miller talks about writing books and movies, where he gets to tell how the story ends. But in games, well they have this "participatory thing" which he admits he's never encountered before. He says though that this isn't really much of a hurdle just as long as you know the rules. His framework for media is basically that all these types - movies, books, even video games - are built on the same logic. Follow the rules, and you can take the skills from one field of expertise to another - "Sometimes seamlessly," Miller adds.

Well, I haven't read the graphic novel myself (has anyone here read it?), and both the movie and the game are only about to come out this March. Only time will tell if all the "skill transplanting" was done seamlessly, from graphic novel, to movie, to video game...

We know you've seen the trailer for Collision Studios' 300: March to Glory, met the characters, and probably even checked out the game's official website already. But just in case you weren't able to catch all that, we thought you might wanna see this hack and slash gameplay vid to put you up to speed.

As you know, one of the gameplay elements that Collision really stood their ground on is the extreme violence. Extreme as in 728 decapitations all in all, or maybe even more. Hence, the age requirement thingy for the vid above. Underaged teeners, don't get your hopes up, you won't find any porn in there, just your plain old bloody, gory, hacking and slashing. Oh, and watch out for flying heads.

Collision Studios and Warner Brothers Games announce the unveiling of their latest weapon in 300's promotional attack. The link below takes you to the official site for the PSP-exclusive bloodfest 300: March to Glory. Like any good official site, 300's site features the fact sheet, trailers and screenies, and info about the game dynamics. Well, not all the game dynamics, but it did feature the Spartan (in-game) decapitative* armory, something we haven't checked on before. Yum.

(* Note: Decapitative = kiss your head goodbye)

Based on the info on the site, you've got two offensive weapons and two defensive armaments to outfit yourself with, Your Majesty Leonidas. There's the sword and the spear as well as the shield and the rather scant armor (thank goodness that shield is big) - all the basic implements of a good Spartan. Each can be upgraded from your basic "meh" status to legendary or heroic status, although exactly how they're upgraded hasn't been revealed yet.

We're not too certain about the movie or the graphic novel, but we're pretty sure that you are quite excited about Collision Studios' 300: March to Glory. The game's producer Jeff Nachbaur doesn't really mind of you don't care about the other adaptations as he pointed out that the game is pretty much stand-alone.

According to the producer, Collision Studios designed the game in such a way that players will be fine even though they don't watch the movie or read the novel. Speaking of design, Nachbaur explained that March to Glory isn't a simple beat 'em up game. He said,

Most beat 'em ups feel repetitive because the combat system is overly simplified or superfluous to your combat goals. We make combos necessary. We make sure that you need to accomplish something specific. This requires the player to constantly think and consider what choice is the best choice and this engages the player.

Despite that, Nachbaur shared that their developers took some inspiration from other games and movies. Some of these include Spartan Total Warrior, Lord of the Rings, Mark of Kri, Rise of the Kasai, as well as Samurai Warriors. The producer continued and mentioned that given all these, plus the movie and the comic book, March to Glory definitely has a lot to live up to:

Our color palette is a bit more broad, closer to the comic than the film, but our visuals on average are very movie based. Our cinematics are comic depictions of film assets. We also didn't go for actor likeness with many of the character but stuck more to the comic roots.

Nachbaur spoke about some of the game's certain aspects especially that of Leonidas'. He revealed that at first, they considered having little first aid kits that players can pick up to replenish health but it looked and felt alien. They also thought of having "rally points" wherein players would stand on a platform and repeatedly press a button to gain health. All the while, Leonidas would be screaming and pumping up the troops.

Lastly, Nachbaur mentioned that he is not quite fond of the in-game Primitives. Based on Persian tribes, these are highly evasive and agile set of people so it is really hard to be effective against them.

If you're not familiar with Frank Miller's graphic novel or you're not really interested with the upcoming movie, but you are interested in Collision Studios' new beat 'em up for the PSP, then this post should help you out a bit when it comes to understanding the backstory of 300: March to Glory.

Well, you could always crack open a history book. But you're too lazy to do that right?

Anyway, here are the major characters in the story that the game (which will be released on the 27th of February) is based on:

King Leonidas - The Spartan King

King Leonidas only needed to kneel before a a Persian messenger to prevent slaughter at the hands of the Persians. He did not. Leonidas' Sparta will live and die as a state of free men. With his 300 personal bodyguards he seeks to stand in defiance against an army that shakes the earth with its march.

Xerxes - The Persian God-King

The God-king takes his supposed divinity a little too seriously. And why not? His Empire controls nearly the entire known world. Leonidas is a mystery to Xerxes as the God-King fails to understand a free man's willingness to die before submitting to his rule.

Get more character profiles after the Jump.