Blood Bowl (X360)

[UncleSmoothie]

I may squeal with joy right here at my damned desk (http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/14/cyanide-confirms-blood-bowl-for-xbox-360-psp-ds/).

While the company hopes to license the engine to other "small and medium sized" game developers, Cyanide is not above eating its own dog food, and will utilize the technology in its own projects, the first of which will be a title based on Games Workshop's fantasy tabletop game Blood Bowl. First announced briefly last year, the real news here is that the game, which is an unofficial follow up to the unlicensed PC title Chaos League, has been confirmed as in development for the Xbox 360, PSP, and Nintendo DS, as well as the PC.

I have waited years for a worthy successor to Jerry Glanville's Pigskin Footbrawl (http://www.mobygames.com/game/jerry-glanvilles-pigskin-footbrawl) and Mutant League Football (http://www.mobygames.com/game/mutant-league-football). We can hope.

[Brian Rucker]

Holy crap. I remember Blood Bowl. That's from....wayback. Or is GW still making a version of it?

[tiohn]

Man, bloodbowl was the shit. I remember playing it at some chinese buffet that didn't care how long we sat there.

[Kalle]

Bloodbowl is still around, but since it's not selling models GW isn't pushing it. Mailorder still has all the models and the rules are freely available online nowadays.

[Lokust]

Bloodbowl has a pretty active league going in my area. This is great news.

[JetLagger]

BloodBowl is truly the shit. Fantastic game. Nice find Jack! First Warhammer 40k Squad Command (which is so Chaos Gate) and now this news. Everything old is indeed new again.

-Jet
*crosses fingers for a new version of Space Hulk or a Necromunda game.

[Lokust]

There are some pretty sweet freeware space hulk games out there. They are more like the board game than the first person video games though.

[ducker]

I've still played the table top recently.. lame I don't have a psp or a 360. I might have to get one or the other in the near future.!
Now if they could implement it for the Wii and allow you to move your team around with a wii mote that would rock :)

[JM]

Blood Bowl gets played via the Java client and Fumbbl (http://fumbbl.com) now.

But yeah, fantastic news.

[strategy]

I would be more enthused if the game wasn't developed by Cyanide. I've purchased two of their games (both from the bargain bin, thankfully); both were so bugged as to be only marginally worth playing more than a year after their original release. Maybe the move to console will force them to implement some form of quality control... :(

[Octonoo]

I saw the Blood Bowl Trilogy being sold at BooksaMillion and it reminded me of this so I checked out the developer's site (http://www.cyanide-studio.com/?rub=node&nid=696):

Blood Bowl is a "game" of American football played by the insane warriors of the fantasy Warhammer universe.
Based on Games Workshop's renowned board game, Blood Bowl will allow you to create and manage teams that will take part in epic battles where fair-play is for sissies.

Various races of players are available : Orcs, Goblins, Elves, Dwarves, Humans, Lizard Men and Chaos.

Once you've picked your team, you'll be able to progress it through the various leagues, taking on opponents that have their own particular strategies.


Blood Bowl will be playable in two modes :

- Real-time : for fast-moving and action-packed matches

- Turn-based : for a more strategic style of play.

A multiplayer mode is also planned so that leagues can be created and managed on-line.

Games Workshop, the Games Workshop logo, Warhammer, the Warhammer logo

Sounds pretty good, I think I'll pick up that trilogy to prepare (I've never played the board game).

Interesting that a fantasy game based on American Football is being developed by the Brits...

I wonder if they will base player names off of real NFL players: Terrell Orkins? Painton Mauling?

[SlyFrog]

There are some pretty sweet freeware space hulk games out there. They are more like the board game than the first person video games though.

Any that use the first (and not crappier second) edition ruleset?

[Robert Sharp]

My brother and I used to put together blood bowl teams and go at it. This is fantastic, IF they can pull it off properly. Chaos League was NOT very good, and it was an attempt at Bloodbowl. For me, this will only work as a turn-based game, but I could be biased because of Chaos League.

[Rywill]

Blood Bowl was awesome. We had a great league going on in college one year. Space Hulk is awesome+. I would love a good Space Hulk computer game.

[Brendan]

Awesome. I still fire up my abandonware copy of the old PC version from about 10 years back and have a blast.

[Demon G Sides]

Mutant League Football and Hockey were ridiculously fun back on the ol' Sega Genesis.

This looks just as fun.

[balut]

I hope they have all the renowned Star Players, like Griff Oberwald, Jeremiah "The Flashing Blade" Kool, Borgth "The Howitzer" N'h'throg, Varag Ghoul-Chewer, Duke Luthor von Hawkfire, Ramtut III, etc.

And I hope they have full-fledged franchise management, as well, with free agent signings, referee bribes, dirty tricks, etc.

[lesslucid]

My brother and I used to put together blood bowl teams and go at it. This is fantastic, IF they can pull it off properly. Chaos League was NOT very good, and it was an attempt at Bloodbowl. For me, this will only work as a turn-based game, but I could be biased because of Chaos League.

If you want a turn-based game built on a similar concept to Blood Bowl, try Crush! Deluxe.

[KieronGillen]

I hope they have all the renowned Star Players, like Griff Oberwald, Jeremiah "The Flashing Blade" Kool, Borgth "The Howitzer" N'h'throg, Varag Ghoul-Chewer, Duke Luthor von Hawkfire, Ramtut III, etc.

The Chaos All Stars! (http://www.blood-bowl.net/OtherTeams/ChampionsOfOld/ChaosAllStars.htm)

(The Manuals for Blood Bowl were among my favourite back in my tabletop days - it was almost on Par with the Paranoia rules, for example, in terms of gags and general fucking around)

KG

[Harkonis]

Blood Bowl gets played via the Java client and Fumbbl (http://fumbbl.com) now.

But yeah, fantastic news.

I was in this league for awhile. Forgot about it and I miss it a lot.

[Ben Sones]

I used to love Blood Bowl. There was an arcade game called Pigskin, back in the day, that captured the essence of BB quite well.

[Harkonis]

Reminds me though, wasn't Talisman supposed to be out by now for XBLA?

[Rywill]

There was an arcade game called Pigskin, back in the day, that captured the essence of BB quite well.
You only think that because you were always completely drunk when you played it. Although it was damn fun.

[Ben Sones]

You only think that because you were always completely drunk when you played it. Although it was damn fun.

Well, sometimes. It was at our favorite bar. But we'd go there and play it during the day, sometimes. Remember how they would reset the timing mechanism early in the day so that you could play out a full ~20 minute game on one quarter? That was awesome.

[Gladguy]

This game concept intrigues me... admittedly, I know little of the Warhammer universe, though I do appreciate their IP.

Is this a sports game? Or a strategy game? Or what?

[Ben Sones]

The board game is both. It's a turn-based fantasy football game; in this case, the "fantasy" in fantasy football means that you field teams of skeletons and goblins and whatnot. It's only tangentially related to the Warhammer universe--it borrows the races from the Warhammer Fantasy setting, but you don't have to know anything about Warhammer to play. And it's actually more like rugby than football, with melee combat thrown in. It's a damn fun game.

In videogame form, I'd love to see them use a system like Laser Squad Nemesis, where you have an orders phase and then simultaneous realtime resolution. That would rock.

[KieronGillen]

Correct me if I'm wrong - it's been a while - but I think, basically, it's an alternate timeline Warhammer fantasy world where the eternal wars were stopped by them inventing a football/rugby/war variant which they all played instead.

Tongue is firmly in cheek. I remember playing some ludicrous team in the boardgame - playing Halflings against an Chaos Ogre team was so messy, we decided to let the Minotaur into the dugouts to finish off the remaining Halflings.

KG

[balut]

Correct me if I'm wrong - it's been a while - but I think, basically, it's an alternate timeline Warhammer fantasy world where the eternal wars were stopped by them inventing a football/rugby/war variant which they all played instead.

Tongue is firmly in cheek. I remember playing some ludicrous team in the boardgame - playing Halflings against an Chaos Ogre team was so messy, we decided to let the Minotaur into the dugouts to finish off the remaining Halflings.

KG

Sounds almost as bad as Snotlings against Storm Giants.

Although I believe there was a Halfling Star Player named Arby Beefbiter. Man, did they have a flair for awesome names in the Blood Bowl universe.

[SlyFrog]

If you want a turn-based game built on a similar concept to Blood Bowl, try Crush! Deluxe.

I loved that game. I bet I still have it somehwere.

"Kermian!"

[davidf]

*Sigh* Mass Effect, Crackdown, and now BloodBowl??

Why are developers forcing me to the console? I love my PC, make these games for the PC!!!! Damn controllers @$%&!!!!!

[Marcin]

Looks like there's a site (http://www.bloodbowl-game.com/) and some shots hidden away in a /screens subdir.

One (http://www.bloodbowl-game.com/screens/BB-1.jpg) Two (http://www.bloodbowl-game.com/screens/BB-2.jpg) Three (http://www.bloodbowl-game.com/screens/BB-3.jpg) Four (http://www.bloodbowl-game.com/screens/BB-4.jpg) Five (http://www.bloodbowl-game.com/screens/BB-5.jpg) Six (http://www.bloodbowl-game.com/screens/BB-6.jpg)

[KieronGillen]

Why are developers forcing me to the console? I love my PC, make these games for the PC!!!! Damn controllers @$%&!!!!!

It's coming out to the PC too.

KG

[ducker]

sigh... It gives love to the PSP but not the PS3?
bah

[balut]

Looks like there's a site (http://www.bloodbowl-game.com/) and some shots hidden away in a /screens subdir.

One (http://www.bloodbowl-game.com/screens/BB-1.jpg) Two (http://www.bloodbowl-game.com/screens/BB-2.jpg) Three (http://www.bloodbowl-game.com/screens/BB-3.jpg) Four (http://www.bloodbowl-game.com/screens/BB-4.jpg) Five (http://www.bloodbowl-game.com/screens/BB-5.jpg) Six (http://www.bloodbowl-game.com/screens/BB-6.jpg)

Looks like a match between the Dwarf Warhammers (or maybe the Dwarf Giants) and the Gouged Eye. Hopefully star players Grimwold Grimbreath, the Mjolnir Brothers, and Grishnak Goblin-Throttler are included.

[André Costa]

So, does one require to have any knowledge of that thing you americans call football to play this?

[Kalle]

So, does one require to have any knowledge of that thing you americans call football to play this?

No.

45

[Rasputin]

Looks like a match between the Dwarf Warhammers (or maybe the Dwarf Giants) and the Gouged Eye. Hopefully star players Grimwold Grimbreath, the Mjolnir Brothers, and Grishnak Goblin-Throttler are included.

What, no love for ace maimer Varag Ghoul-Chewer?

[SolomonGrundy]

Maybe someone mentioned it already, but why doesn't EA bring back mutant L- using the Madden and NHL engines? I want to blow up goalies.

[balut]

What, no love for ace maimer Varag Ghoul-Chewer?

I thought Varag Ghoul-Chewer was the star blitzer for the Orcland Raiders, not the Gouged Eye.

[Sten Friberg]

http://www.bloodbowl-game.com/

First game-teaser out. Downloading now.

[Robert Sharp]

Not enough gameplay in that teaser. I couldn't tell how it flowed. Still, the video gave me some nice tinglies of anticipation of more to come.

[DeathMonkey]

I've never played the tabletop version, but I absolutely adored the old PC version of this game. (As buggy and broken as it was.)

I fear the new developers are spending more time trying to make the game look cool and relevant with their new fangled 3D graphics than making the game easy and clear to play. I'd love to be wrong.

[z0dd]

Blizzard needs to scrap WSG and replace it with a BB equivalent. :)

[KWhit]

Wow. That looks incredible (emphasis on looks). I'm really excited about it this one and hope they don't screw up the gameplay.

[Disconnected]

I've never played the tabletop version, but I absolutely adored the old PC version of this game. (As buggy and broken as it was.)

I fear the new developers are spending more time trying to make the game look cool and relevant with their new fangled 3D graphics than making the game easy and clear to play. I'd love to be wrong.Considering they're the ones who made Chaos League and have stated they'll make a true-to-the-rules turn based mode, I don't think there's anything to worry about at all.

Chaos League was pretty much a straight rip-off of BB, only in real time. And despite some lack of polish and a few less than obvious or downright counter-intuitive bits, it was fucking fantastic. I can only think of one manner in which Chaos League isn't vastly superior to other titles in the genre, and that's availability. It can be very hard to get a hold of a legit copy.

So, er.. if there's anyone who can get it right, it's these guys.

[slantz]

Has anyone heard a credible ETA?