The Boondock Saints Becomes Co-op Shooter

In nomine Patri, et Fili, et Spiritus Sancti, Critical Mass Interactive will shepherd a cooperative shooter based on the cult classic crime movie.

Small developer Critical Mass Interactive is like 7-Eleven; it’s not always doing business, but it’s always open. Recently, it opened its doors to an unusual project based on an equally unusual property: a cooperative shooter that continues the story of The Boondock Saints. Fans of quirky cinema will remember the story of Connor and Murphy, two Irish brothers who wage a two-man vigilante war against organized crime. The developers at Critical Mass see the characters as a natural fit for an action game, and promise fans that they’ll do whatever it takes to honor the spirit of the film.

“We don’t want to do a crap-ass franchise game,” said Critical Mass CEO Matt Scibilia. “We’re staying true to the content. We’re looking to expand the story, not just retell the franchise.” Scibilia explained that Boondock Saints: The Game will be available for PC and Xbox 360, with the possibility of a PS3 port. While he did not specify which two characters will be controlled cooperatively, fans can take a solid bet that protagonists Connor and Murphy will be on the roster. However, Scibilia promised that other characters will show up – despite being dead, in some cases. “”[The] banter, the relationships between Rocco and the brothers, the Catholicism, that will all be featured in the game.”

Few other details are available at this point, but Critical Mass intends to show the game to press at PAX East and a wider audience at E3. The game may end up shipping as episodic downloadable content. If so, it may remind film buffs of nothing so much as another cooperative, movie-based XBLA title: Watchmen: The End is Nigh. Despite solid mechanics and a reasonable price point, the game failed to make much of a splash either among gamers or fans of the source material. Will Boondock Saints: The Game deliver good old-fashioned Irish vigilantism, or will it be chained to a toilet and pushed off a roof? The answer to that question may largely depend on how much it features a certain smart-mouthed, cross-dressing detective.

Source: G4