During last week's E3 event in Los Angeles, cross-platform middleware physics solution provider Havok announced support for the Wii, Nintendo's upcoming next-generation video game console platform.
The GameCube's current library of software titles feature more than fifteen games that utilize Havok middleware, and this announcement confirms the continued support of Nintendo by Havok.
"Havok has become synonymous with state-of-the-art physics in games in recent years," said Ramin Ravanpey, Director of Software Development Support, Nintendo of America. "With this announcement from Havok, we feel Wii developers have another critical tool in their hands that helps unleash the real magic of the Wii platform."
In addition, Havok's software solutions were featured in 35 titles from 25 different developers at E3 across multiple platforms, including Alan Wake, Alone in the Dark, Assassin, Auto Assault, BioShock, Brothers in Arms Hell's Highway, Cars, Company of Heroes, Crackdown, Dawn of Mana, Dead Rising, Destroy All Humans! 2, F.E.A.R., Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, Happy Feet, Heavenly Sword, Hellgate: London, Just Cause, Killzone, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, Metal of Honor Allied Assault, Motor Storm, NBA Live 07, Over the Hedge, Saint's Row, Shadowrun, Sonic The Hedgehog, Splinter Cell 4, Spore, Stranglehold, Superman Returns: The Videogame, Test Drive Unlimited, The Ant Bully, The Godfather, and Urban Chaos: Riot Response.
"We wanted the action in our game to focus on interactive elements in a highly intuitive manner," says David Nadal, Game Director at Eden Games. "We knew Havok Physics could help us do that for game-play elements, but we wanted to push the envelope even further to add persistent effects that could interact with game-play elements. Havok's GPU-accelerated physics effects middleware helped us achieve that in surprisingly little time."
Through the use of Havok FX and GPU technology, game developers are able to implement a range of physical effects like debris, smoke, and fluids that add detail and believability to Havok’s physics system. Havok FX is cross-platform, takes advantage of current and next-generation GPU technology, and utilizes the native power of Shader Model 3 class graphics cards to deliver effect physics that integrate seamlessly with Havok’s physics technology found in Havok Complete.
“With Havok FX we can explore new types of visual effects that add realism into Hellgate: London,” commented Tyler Thompson, Technical Director, Flagship Studios. “Given the widespread installed base of GPUs and the incredible performance of the new Nvidia GeForce 7900 boards, Havok FX was a natural choice."
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