Hi everyone! After a long journey navigating the sometimes-challenging waters of new IP development, we’re proud to reveal Fuse. Fuse, formerly known as Overstrike, is a third person, four-player cooperative game that centers around a volatile energy source that has fallen into the wrong hands. The substance, called Fuse, has been acquired by a terrorist organization known as Raven and Overstrike 9 has been hired to track down and stop it from setting off a deadly arms race.
You can play with up to three of your friends, and each member of Overstrike 9 has its own signature Fuse-powered weapon. Play as Dalton Brooks, an ex-mercenary who has a Mag-shield that acts as portable cover and unleashes a devastating blast that liquefies opponents. Take on the role of Naya Deveraux, who can cloak to flank enemies and fire out mini-black holes that implode its victims. As Jacob Kimble, you can keep enemies at a distance with the Arc Shot and shoot out charged bolts that chain react and fry enemies. Then there’s Izzy Sinclair, who can either launch out med beacons to heal teammates or fire her Shatter Gun to crystallizes and explode nearby threats. If you’re not sure who you want to play, you can use the LEAP feature to instantly switch to any available character. A good tactic when you’re in a pinch!
As you take down targets with both Fuse and conventional weapons, you’ll earn valuable points than can be used to upgrade your weapons and character abilities. You’ll earn more points on executing cooperative kills and these points and upgrades are beneficial across both campaign and another mode we’ll be revealing at a later time.
I’ve been at Insomniac for more than 13 years and was part of the development of the first Ratchet & Clank for the PS2. It’s never easy developing new gameplay, an engaging storyline, and new technology from scratch. But at Insomniac right now, we’re having a lot of fun both evolving and playing Fuse. I believe the telltale signs of a signature “Insomniac” game are in full force. We’re diligently working on making sure each character and gameplay mechanic is satisfying to play. Our story is filled with intrigue and contains exciting plot twists with a touch of that classic Insomniac humor. And there won’t be a shortage of replay options thanks to our LEAP feature.
We hope you’ll feel the same way when Fuse launches in March 2013!
You can look for more information on the official site, follow Insomniac on Twitter or like the Fuse page on Facebook. We’re excited to show you more of Fuse soon.
Looks like a generic piece of trash now. Well done.
You sold out to EA to make a shooter. A shooter, the most over-saturated genre of all. Why do you think EA demanded you changed the whole aesthetic of your game and even the name? EA doesn’t believe in new IPs this late in the cycle, they never believed in your game, and you sold out to them because you wanted them to publish it, you wanted to go multiplatform. And please don’t dismiss this comment as just another fanboy rant about you jumping fence and leaving Sony’s exclusiveness, that is not where I’m coming from. I’m talking about taking the wrong decision for you studio which has been unable to find life after Ratchet & Clank. This is the first time you make a multiplatform IP, am I right? Why a shooter? Why EA? it makes no sense at all. This is not the right time for this game, timing is crucial for a shooter as it is for a new IP. You should wait for next generation if you’re so determined in making this shooter. But EA making you change your game? big NO, big FAIL.
Give me a copy of Fuse today! I’ll even take the pre-alpha build, just take my money already!!!
I don’t know what EA did to you guys but it obviously sucked the fun out of you, Cartoony zany co-op shooter has become a generic co-op blaster which there are too many of. It doesn’t matter if the humour’s changed it doesn’t have that fun look the original overstrike trailer had, I hope you guys don’t die as i love ratchet and clank, but this is below what you guys can do.
oh Insomniac, you guys were so original with Fall of Man. Then you had to go and copy the FPS trends of loadouts, perks, killstreaks and gave your franchise an identity issue. trying to expand your audience and forgetting your original fans…something Ted Price said you shouldn’t do. Guess he doesn’t listen to his own advice.
You can’t really build a fan base when each release in the franchise is a completely different game.
I was a Resistance fan, but now I am just a Fall of Man fan.
Now here is Fuse, further trying to expand your audience with an even more generic shooter experience. sorry, not taking this ride with ya. once is enough, shame on you.
At least there is still Ratchet.
Like others have said, I do not care for the overhaul. I’m a huge Insomniac fan and have been buying all your games since your studios conception. But this game looks to have taken a turn for the worst. The art style of OverStrike seemed to complement the fun comedy and over the top action of the game. A lot like the Ratchet & Clank series has done for years. No matter what kind of comedic lines you put in FUSE it will most likely feel like a gritty shooter with cheesy lines.
I’m sorry Insomniac, but this game is on the wait and see list. Normally I wouldn’t even have a second thought about buying your games. Don’t crap on your fans to cater to an audience (Xbox360) that probably won’t give a crap about your game no matter what you do with it. Your fans made you what you are.
I completely forgot about this game. Looking forward to hearing more about it. Also, thanks for including offline co-op; we definitely need more of those games!
I loved this game concept when it was first announced… it felt very over the top, both visually and in terms of the characters and dialogue.
It gave me a “mature-the-incredibles” kind of feeling, and I totally loved it.
Now, you’re saying that you’ve changed the humor and the art style of the game…
I have to be honest, it makes me kind of sad.
It seems like this is more of a marketing thing to try to get the game to appeal to more people than it is going with the original concept.
Whether or not that’s the case isn’t really entirely relevant, because either way, that’s what it *feels* like to a consumer like me.
Sure, with this new art style, I’m sure the game will sell like crazy because it looks familiar and that kind of thing appeals to people… But, this big change has made me a bit skeptical now… very hesitant.
I love it when things feel fresh and new. This doesn’t feel fresh and new anymore. I’ll have to be won over all over again now…
People should stop worrying about Ratchet & Clank Full Frontal Assault being on multiplatform, Sony owns the rights to it so it can never be on Xbox unless bought by Microsoft.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Insomniac games!
There’s a lot of talent represented there. I’m sure you guys know what you’re doing… I’m just a little let down as of right now.
all i got to say is, i was expecting this game this year. I loved the Teaser it was fantastic the way it was. people just change so much these days to make people happy. If i can choose between the original style and the next gen shooter type, it would have been the original style. im not saying it doesnt look completely intense, but a lot has changed and i died a little when i seen it called FUSE :l i hope Steve Blum is still part of the team or did u change that too
That’s that game taken of the wish list .. Overstrike looked fun. This reminds me of a Marriage of Brink + Bulletstorm and i’ll pass.
Why don’t developers stick to what people get excited about, when the Overstrike trailer was released every I knew that saw it went nuts. With this, all i see “meh” comments, including mine.
Shame, oh well, another game I don’t have to buy …
Good job defending the game, James! I will give it a shot to see if your refutation of my fear is legitimate. :)
Looks like EA is trying to kill another great studio.
This game looks so generic now… sad to see that my favorite company is going to die most likely.
Shoulda just stuck with Sony or at least gone with another publisher. I bet EA is already making you guys work on DLC.
Ok, to be clear, was this insomniacs decision or ea`s? Just so i know, cause everyone gonna say its ea fault.
Oh! Since this is the first time someone answered my comment I just have to say:
I love Ratchet & Clank Future: Crack in Time, All 4 One and Resistence 3! Those games are just amazing!
Im not really found of other Insomianc tittles, but those 3 hold a special place in my heart and in my shelf.
ps: I liked All 4 One for its absurdly fun multiplayer (specially playing side by side with other 3 people)! Single player is just nice.
I’m not sure how I feel about this yet. I’m not a huge fan of shooters, but I’ve always loved Ratchet & Clank. When the first Overstrike trailer was released it seemed to hold onto some of the silliness of R&C that makes it feel unique. While I’m sure there is some humor, I’m not sure I’m sold on this game.
I’m trying to stay open minded, but I will say I’m a little disappointed currently. Thanks for the hard-work regardless and I’m looking forward to gameplay footage to change my mind.
I don’t like this; their original trailer for this game had more personality and uniqueness compared to this that looks like a dreary washed out gears of war game. Really the original had a better color pallet that made it seem more vibrant and more like Team fortress.
Optimistic on this game, I’m sure I speak for a lot of us when I say that. That being said, this game needs to be advertised a lot, preferably like you advertised Ratchet & Clank with the cool funny commercials with normal kids trying out the crazy guns in real life to devastating results, those commercials ruled! The one were they changed that kids mom into a sheep with the sheepinator always crackes me up, “Dude, that’s my mom!”..hahaha. But yeah, those commercials were awesome. Now for a question, will we see more characters to chose from? I would love to see an older character kinda based around Sean Connery, that would use older gadgets and weaponry at the beginning of the game, because he believes in the old tried and true approach. Then be forced to use a new weapon in a dire situation, only to make him realize that the new weapons are way better than he thought, gets him hooked on all the new gizmos and gadgets and weapons. Which makes him over-excited when using each new one acquired. Always asking his teammates if he could borrow theirs..lol. Would be cool, admit it..haha.
Can’t wait for this game. I love everything about Insomniac Games. Keep up the good work. One question …….
Why the name chance?
is this “Overstrike” with a different name? and is this a PS3 Exclusive?
scratch my last comment about “Overstrike” since all i had to do was read. but even though this is ANOTHER shooter this looks to be alot more fun than the other crap coming out. i will NOT buy if this is mutiplatform though.
Game looks fun, really interesting mechanic, i just hope it’s not like the resident evil co op game that got boring fast. I just wish developers would think about the possibility that if all guys are playing, two have to be girl characters, that’s not exactly high on the way i want to play a game. and the same for four girls playing two have to be guys. I feel you should always have the option to pick the sex of a character instead of being forced into being a certain one, still most likely getting this game depending on further reviews, and trailers.
There goes the style. Probably at EA’s insistence. Looks generic.
Looks great! I actually like the change. I’m wondering why so many of you are quick to judge on three screens. The while game isn’t going to take place in the location of those screens. Have you forgotten how varied every locale has been in all their games? I can’t wait to see the trailer
Looks completely different compared to the overstrike trailer. I was really liking the humor and the cartoony look. I’m not so sure on this version. I liked how it looked before because I was hoping for a new game from yah that could take the torch from ratchet and clank. Now it just seems like any other game. Online co op? If not, then this game has no hope.
I feel kinda bad for Insomniac, they’re getting the crap kicked out of them for this incredibly generic trailer. There’s like 5 people who are still excited for the game across every news post on this I’ve seen, everyone else couldn’t be more let down.
Hope they can show the game really is what they say, their marketing team utterly screwed the pooch on this.
This looks like a M title game now. Is it “M” rated?? I thought it would be more Incredibles Movie style game at first.
All day at work I was watching the clock so I could get home to see this. While I’m not a big fan of the shift toward a slightly more realistic look, and the screens don’t impress because of it, I’m sure the gameplay will be great, which is why I pre-ordered it after the initial trailer. Insomniac never disappoints. Can’t wait to see the game in action.
It seems like you guys only changed the art style so I don’t see why so many people are upset. I really liked the original design as well but it seems like it will still keep the same gameplay plus Insomniac’s humor and creativity. So I imagine that it will be pretty awesome. Hopefully once some footage of the game comes out people will see that.
Insomniac makes fantastic games and this looks like no exception. I did like the original style that I saw in the Overstrike trailer…that being said…I like this too. I can speak to this a bit because I work as a concept artist myself. The art in a game is constantly evolving all the way up to when the game hits alpha, even after alpha there always seems to be tweaks and sometimes complete overhauls. There is a tendency when games have a lot of time and money going into it there is more input on the art style. The art ends up looking generic so it appeals to as many people as possible and doesn’t offend potential buyers.
That doesn’t look the case here. This looks like a natural evolution of the style that we saw earlier. I have a feeling once we’re playing this…we will be happy, especially once we see the game in motion.
Also, Brian: I was watching the bonus content on the R&C Collection. You’ve aged an appropriate amount, yet Ted looks almost exactly the same. Is he immortal? A Vampire? A holy deity of the gaming world?
I also must eco the coments of #13, I loved the co-op in RESISTANCE 2. If this is as good as that I will be getting this on day 1. BTW, I loved the Resistance franchise. Hope sony treats it well from here on out.
March 2013
God of War Ascension <- Big PS3 release for the month, everyone will look forward to it
Gears of War Judgement <- Big 360 release for the month, everyone will look forward to it
Army of Two: Devil's Cartel <- EA's priority for the month as they own the IP, unlike Fuse
Q1 biggest release for EA (and therefore most marketing dollars) is Dead Space 3 releasing in February. Also, Bioshock Infinite releases at the end of February.
Money is limited, and in Q1, PS3 only owners will probably be mostly excited for GOW:A, Bioshock Infinite, and DS3. 360 only owners will be GOW: J, BI, and DS3.
I know James is excited and trying to sell his product, but he'll need some luck.
The worst thing about this game is its publisher… Electronic Arts. Although I’m happy that more people will be able to experience the craftsmanship of an Insomniac Games production on other platforms. Craftsmanship that I have been glad to experience since their first game “Disruptor.” Their partnership with EA is the most troubling.
I know that at some point. EA is going to try to buy Insomniac Games. I hope that they resist just like Valve has done in the past. Hopefully they hold the same principle, that they rather break up the studio than to be taken over by EA or any other gaming company.
Wow this looks bad, the original design was something to look forward to. The art style and timing of the Oversrike teaser was something that had me wanting more, but this new direction looks like you took a blender full of games on the market now and out came this generic mush. Prove me wrong i live near your NC studio let me see it first hand, if not read what people are saying and go back to the way it was. If you think this new style will sale you will see that it will sale worse than Resistance 3, which did not get the love it deserved.
I will buy it if you support Remote Play on vita or bring the game entirely to vita. (I would pay for both the PS3 and the Vita game in that case).
I definitely don’t think it will be a bad or generic game, but I do agree that the original art style seemed much better suited for this type of game. Not only did it make it’s art style stand out from the crowd unlike Resistance, but it also added more of the charm that made me love playing Spyro and makes me love to play Ratchet and Clank. Either way, I’ll make sure to pick it up when it’s released and i have the money for it, and I look forward to giving it a try whenever a demo is released. That reminds me; PLEASE add me to the beta testers list for fuse! I never got an invite for the full frontal assault beta despite being a huge R&C fan ever since the beginning! I even already got a platinum on Ratchet and Clank 1 in 4 days, with 2 currently halfway completed and 3 soon to be on the way for me to play. One suggestion I have is that those people who purchase full frontal assault within a month of it’s release should gain automatic beta access to the Fuse beta when it’s released. This way the hard core insomniac fans will be sure to have a chance to see what Fuse is about and remember who Insomniac is.
For me, Fuse is a day one buy because of the co-op as well as I have never been let down by Insomniac on any of their previous titles.
While at first I was disappointed to find out that for certain IPs Insomniac was to no longer be Playstation exclusive, it should not be an issue as in the end, all that matters is that we enjoy the game. And if more people can enjoy it, that’s perfectly fine by me. Maybe it’ll even show some of the 360 guys what kind of games they’ve been missing out on with Resistance and Ratchet & Clank!
QUOTE – “EA is still trying to get final clearance on the trailer, so that’s hopefully coming soon.
In addition to that, GT.TV with Geoff Keighley tomorrow night will have lots of gameplay”
Hopefully, EA doesn’t do anything to screw this up.
Insomniac…. Wow. Why didn’t you make some PSP games or Vita games for launch or something. THIS GAME DOES NOT LOOK GOOD NOR FUN. You guys have made some of the best games honestly of all time there is no doubt about that. I will be getting the Ratchet collection soon and will play R3 eventually but… I am stunned. From the original trailer it looked like it would have a LBP/Team fortress look and low and behold it LOOKS like a Gears knock off. Gameplay might save this game because of your pedigree but if you go to Giantbomb.com and check out the quick look for Ratchet collection and see your prior greatness this is just sad to see. You were in the Naughty Dog, Santa Monica, Epic class and this is the NEW Insomniac. Publish games for companies that show what your studio can do. Another thing the ONLY reason why Resistance wasn’t the Halo for the PS3 was because you did not have vehicles in the game in an open setting and the story was not as compelling in R2 (hence why R3 is still not bought with your other games R1 and R2 respectively). Make money because that is the bottom line but don’t sacrifice the studios reputation.
Just saw the gameplay and I thought it was suppose to be an FPS?
I just hope there is still humor in this game.
It’s officially ruined and off my “Plan To Buy” list.
More than half of the fans of this game preferred the Overstrike style, and don’t think they’ll like this crap now.
I’m speaking on behalf of almost everyone here.
I’m sorry but I’m not feeling this. I loved the original Overstrike design and premise. It had a lot of charm and character to it. Now it just seems so generic and soulless. I’m a huge Insomniac fan and have all of your games but I’m just not feeling this one. I’ll withhold full judgement until more information is given but I’m gonna go ahead and cancel my preorder that I made immediately after the first trailer.
This game is looking AMAZING, can’t wait to play it!
well this is it guys, i have oficially lost faith in isomaniac games, this dosent look fun and no competitive online, no buy
What happened to the original style? It looked so much better than this. I guess…. it’s ok as long as they keep everything the same including the humor.
If I play this game it will be on the ps3. The only problem I have is the name Fuse I like Overstrike better.
Despite all of these negative comments on here, i still support you 110% insomniac like i’ve always been since ratchet & clank. Honestly, i was a little disapointed when you guys changed the game to have a more serious tone, because i was looking forward to that………but i cant complain since im not making the game. I’m still going to buy this when it comes out.