Love and hate lasting 18 years: this is the story of the Four Seas Brothers series.

On May 14, 2K announced the official release of Four Seas Brothers: Trilogy. Among them, Four Seas Brothers 2 Decisive Edition is a high-definition original, and Four Seas Brothers Decisive Edition is a complete remake. The announcement of this news has also caused a lot of repercussions among players. Although the Four Seas Brothers series has only released three works, these three works have a long span, from the release of the Four Seas Brothers in early 2002 to the widely acclaimed Four Seas Brothers 2 in 20 10, and then to the Four Seas Brothers 3 in 20 17 generation. Some people regard it as a more serious "give him love", and some even play it as a "hard-core driving game". What I want to tell you today is the story of the Four Seas Brothers.

1998, Illusion Software Company started the development project code-named "Gangster". Initially, the project aimed to develop a driving game similar to the PlayStation platform "Driver". Although it eventually evolved into the works of the "Four Seas Brothers" we see now, since then, the "Four Seas Brothers" have formed an indissoluble bond with the "car".

The first Four Seas Brothers was set in the United States during prohibition in 1930s. Although the story is set in a fictional city called Paradise Lost, the architectural style of this city was inspired by real American cities at that time, such as new york, Chicago and Los Angeles. The story of the game tells the story of an ordinary taxi driver Tommy (this role even appeared in the 2nd generation DLC). After being involved in a gang conflict, his life suddenly changed. Since then, he has stepped into the world of brothers all over the world and started his gang life. But the good times didn't last long, and Tommy became conceited because of his success. Tommy finally began to pay his own price ... Vavra said that when he was writing the script, he also drew lessons from many real cases: "When I started studying those cases, I saw many people who didn't respect the rules and thought Lao Zi was the best in the world. What I want to talk about is the ultimate fate of these people: how a person rises in a gang and falls to the bottom. "

The most impressive thing about Sihai Brothers is undoubtedly its 5 1 classic car based on real American cars. Moreover, although this is an action adventure game, its driving elements are not lost to many "hardcore" driving games. Players can choose manual gear or automatic gear mode in the game, as well as "clutch" setting; The vehicle needs to be refueled (it will really run out of oil); You need a lot of practice and patience to master the driving rhythm of Four Seas Brothers.

As a game released in 2002, its performance in vehicle-related details is even more amazing. Almost all vehicles in Four Seas Brothers have a comprehensive physical injury mechanism, and even all parts can "deform with the collision", which is a real-time vehicle injury system. At that time, most of them still used pre-calculation to simulate vehicle deformation, but obviously the pre-calculation model could not be real-time. In terms of vehicle damage, the game allows you to break the fuel tank, overheat the engine, damage the gearbox gear and so on; It can also remove windows, tires, headlights, bumpers and other parts from most vehicles.

After the release of Four Seas Brothers, it was quickly praised by players and the industry. Compared with other works with similar styles, Four Seas Brothers is more serious and realistic. By the end of 2008, the sales of games had exceeded 2 million copies. IGN gave it 9.2 points and Gamespot 9.3 points, praising it as one of the "best games of the year". The game whistleblower praised the game environment and vehicles. This concise evaluation can be said to be the best footnote to the game: "From a lifelike city to an incredibly realistic vehicle, this game has a soul that can cause a sensation."

The success of the original Four Seas Brothers also makes the development of the sequel Four Seas Brothers 2 seem logical. However, the project is simple and the development process is not smooth. The development of Four Seas Brothers 2 began in 2003, and the early development began in 2004. At first, 2K Czech Republic (then still called Illusion Software Company) wanted to develop games as works on PS2 and Xbox platforms, and already had a licensed development engine. Things should have gone smoothly, but at the critical moment, the game engine developers suddenly stopped operating, and the game development platform was forced to turn to the next generation PS3 and Xbox 360. This forced Phantom Softworks to develop its own engine, and the development team didn't have the initial actual content until at least 2007-2008.

In addition to the objective external difficulties, there are differences in the ideas of the game within the development team. Kolar, the designer of Four Seas Brothers 2, said in a future interview that the developers had paid too much attention to visual effects. This also makes the team need a lot of time to make elements such as "control system and character animation" and "vehicle and traffic system". Moreover, in terms of script writing, developers also have their own opinions: the script of Four Seas Brothers 2 was written before the game development, but the script style is different from the sandbox and open-world games originally envisioned by developers, which is why the final game is more like a linear game with a sandbox game skin. In actual development, developers even have a situation similar to "obsessive-compulsive disorder". And many ideas that they spent a lot of time studying were finally abandoned.

After seven years of hard work, Four Seas Brothers 2 was finally officially released on August 24th, 20 10. If we look back at the media ratings at that time, you will feel that this seems to be an ordinary game. The average MC score is 77 and IGN score is 7. Some critics believe that this "sandbox game" lacks many game elements of the sandbox game at that time, and some contents, such as the driving part, are too complicated (a generation of traditional art).

However, we know that these points criticized by critics have become the unique features of Four Seas Brothers 2 in the future. Yes, Four Seas Brothers 2 really lacks a lot of sandbox elements, because it is not a sandbox game at all! Although it has an open world map that "looks like that", it is a true story-driven linear game.

The plot of the game is set in the 1940s. The protagonist Vito is an American immigrant from Sicily. 1943, arrested for robbery. Because during the war years, the American army was in urgent need of Italian soldiers, so he was specially approved to join the American army. 1945, Vito returned to Imperial Bay in advance with the help of his good friend Joe. After the boring life, Vito finally got involved in the dangerous gang life ... The plot flow is about 12 hours, but the twists and turns of the plot make the game time quite substantial. Although the protagonist Vito is not a decent figure, his enthusiasm can often infect players. Although my good friend Joe is annoying sometimes, as a brother, he has nothing to say, and the occasional "sweet mouth" is also very effective.

From the perspective of perception, Four Seas Brothers 2 is a work with a sense of the times. Although Imperial Bay is a fictional city, it truly reflects the living conditions of the American people during the wartime-postwar period. Facing the gap between the rich and the poor, racism and other practical problems, Four Seas Brothers 2 shows a very bold scale. But correspondingly, the gang elements in it are actually artistically processed. With more and more money, Vito can even put on a fashionable suit and drive around the city in a flamboyant sports car. And with the continuous improvement of status, Vito's safe house will become more and more luxurious. It is worth mentioning that the developer even invited Michael Franze, once the real gangster, to play this game. This uncle is too powerful. After washing his hands, he turned himself into a filmmaker and produced such works as City Knight and Black Street. He has many complaints about many plots, stealth elements and gang details in the game. For example, in the face of passers-by, the protagonist in the game will endure listening to these nonsense, but in reality, these real malicious guys don't have that much patience.

In addition to the plot setting, "Four Seas Brothers 2" was well received, and its incredible portrayal of various details. Strolling in the streets of Imperial Bay, workers unload goods around the pier, cherry trees in Chinatown sway with the wind, and newsboys shout "extra" in the street from time to time ... they are isomorphic to this wonderful world. Before the war is over, fighter planes will fly in the sky from time to time, and you will hear people on the roadside discussing topics such as Pearl Harbor. After prohibition, NPC will also discuss the newly opened bar on the road. And if you meet passers-by in dirty clothes, passers-by will even remind you that it's time to take a bath.

Let's take a look at these amazing details. Remember, this is the work of 20 10:

In the snow scene, NPC occasionally slips of the tongue:

If you rob a store, the store will be closed when you come next time, and the police will put a seal on it:

Sometimes, the police will arrest NPCs in the street, and NPCs, like players, can pay "protection fees" to avoid going to jail:

If you commit a crime while driving, the police will take your car; If you commit a crime, the police will want your people:

NPC even turns on the turn signal when driving. It is worth mentioning that in the game, turning vehicles must give way to straight vehicles, otherwise the police will arrest you (these real rules are also the reason why players complain that "this game car is really difficult to drive").

If the car breaks down on the road, you can even open the hood to repair it:

In addition, the soundtrack of the game is also a highlight. Like the Four Seas Brothers, the soundtrack of Four Seas Brothers 2 completely adopts the retro style of the 1940s, which is very infectious. After playing the game, even if I stop looking at the game pictures in my eyes and listen to these soundtracks again, my mind seems to be full of the streets and bustling scenes of Imperial Bay …

Unfortunately, the best Four Seas Brothers 2 may always exist in "possibility". Due to the lack of budget, developers actually abandoned many elements and plots that first appeared in the promotional film. For example, a complete subway system, melee weapons, gun licenses, real estate systems, buying newspapers, etc ... these elements are all confirmed by future data miners. If the complete Four Seas Brothers 2 really exists, how high can it reach? I'm afraid none of us can imagine.

Let the past go with the wind.

Two years after the release of Four Seas Brothers 2, 2K Czech announced that it was developing confidential 3A games, but 2K Czech reorganized in 20 14, and finally the development right of Four Seas Brothers 3 was handed over to the newly established studio Hanger 13, 20 15, which was officially released on July 28th and released in 2066.

The game background of Four Seas Brothers 3 was set in the late 1960s, and the game officially became a decent open-world game. New Bordeaux, a fictional city, is inspired by the real life in the southern United States in every way. The protagonist is the Vietnam War veteran "Lincoln". After returning to his hometown, Lincoln tried to escape from his evil past, but his family was wiped out by gangs from Italy. Angry Lincoln decided to make a comeback and take revenge on his enemy …

Four Seas Brothers 3 is the latest work in this series, but the evaluation is mixed. The average MC score of this work is only 68, which has been evaluated by IGN 7.5 and Gamespot 6. Critics generally think that the story of Four Seas Brothers 3 is fascinating, but its game mechanism is really old and the repeated open world is boring. However, in terms of sales volume, Four Seas Brothers 3 sold 7 million copies, the highest in the history of the series.

/kloc-in 0/8, the three works of Four Seas Brothers brought joy and tears to generations of players, and the game also ushered in a new beginning this year. The release of "Four Seas Brothers: Trilogy of Victory" gives players a chance to relive their previous feelings on this generation of platforms. In particular, "Four Seas Brothers: The Final Edition" is a completely remake, and the game mechanism, content and picture have been completely renovated.

Click me to enter the Steam page of Four Seas Brothers: Final Edition.

Stroll the streets of the United States in the twentieth century and feel the classical urban customs; Wrestling in a narrow escape, experiencing a fascinating gang story ... This is the charm of the Four Seas Brothers.

Bloom can drive again, and people can be teenagers. The story of Four Seas Brothers continues. ...