Battle High 2 + stuff

This is a project that has taken up a bulk of my time over the past year and a half: Battle High 2. It's an indie fighting game that just released last Wednesday on Xbox Live, with a PC version releasing probably within the next few days. The original Battle High (alternatively subtitled San Bruno or Elemental Revolt) was something I'd heard about months prior to my purchasing of it, and had always intended to check out, but I kept forgetting about it. When someone started submitting an entry to it on the fighting game database website "Fight-A-Base", I remembered how much I wanted to try it. At $1 there really wasn't really a lot to lose. I found the game to be pretty well done, especially for something that cost a dollar, and one of only two indie fighting games I thought were worth playing on the platform at the time (the other being Chu's Dynasty).



Using a bit of Google magic, I tracked down the message board for the development studio (it was also in the credits, but I couldn't get the URL written down fast enough before it scrolled away). I read that they were working on a second one, and I asked if I could help in any way. Mostly, I wanted to get a good, solid break into voice acting, seeing as how everything I'd done before was either canceled or something low-key like a Youtube video. The developers were pretty receptive, especially since I told them I could possibly pull some strings and get some other actors into the fold. I ended up providing vocals for three characters - Bryan Harrisworth, Ryken Volynski, and Christopher "Heavyweight" Morgann. I also submitted some announcer quips but they were never used in the final product.

As time went on, the lead developer (the super-awesome to work with Matthew DeLucas) let me know that he wasn't really feeling up to wrangling up these actors and working with them. So I took the reigns (although he did still help out a bit) and sought out more actors, wrote up some scripts, had them submit me their work and gave feedback when necessary. Essentially from that moment, I was casting director as well. We managed to snag quite a few awesome folks, from the well-known to others like me that were getting their big break. The full cast of course can be found at various places such as IMDB and Giant Bomb, but to point out just a few, we've got Kyle Hebert (Street Fighter, DragonBall Z, Naruto, Bleach, Wreck-It Ralph), two Skullgirls alumni (Kira Buckland and Danielle McRae), Tim Sutton of the Slender Man webseries "Marble Hornets", and a couple of dudes I'd worked with in a TMNT fan video.

I also became something of a marketing director, using every tool at my disposal to get people interested in this. Hiring some actors with pre-established fanbases certainly didn't hurt (although their work was the deciding factor in their being tapped for the project), but I also ended up making entries and articles on websites, started up battlehigh2.com, made a Cafepress store, and loads of other stuff.

Overall, it was a very rewarding experience. There was a lot of pressure and stress that came along with it, sure, but I enjoyed it immensely for the most part. The game is getting mostly positive reactions and I'm glad I could be a part of something like this. Although the project had me mentally, emotionally, and financially tapped toward the end there, I'd like to be a part of something like this again (although it might have to be a bit before I'm replenished, heh). I'm looking into some other collaborations in the meantime, working on a few of my own things, and I don't doubt that there will eventually be another chapter in the Battle High saga, which I'd love to be a part of.

Of note, I realized late last year that 2013 is the 20th anniversary of the mascot character created by my brother from another father and mother, Carson, and myself, "Shady". I've got a few things brewing in the pipeline for that. I also converted a couple of the older Game Maker games that I'd done back in the mid 2000's to browser. They're not exactly good, especially compared to today, but it's nice to have them archived like that.

For the first time in years, I feel like I've done something worthwhile, something people can enjoy. If I can take advantage of the lines I've got out right now regarding further potential products, I do believe that the good could just outweigh the bad in 2013.

Knock on wood, of course.