About Rory

Darkwatch: Curse of the West is the new console-based first-person shooter from Sammy Studios, makers of fine pachinko machines and guilty gears everywhere. Themed as a vampire western, the player takes on the role of Jericho Cross, a former train robber who has become a vampire and isn't particularly enjoying his current state. We sat down with former FS staffer Rory "Hubris" McGuire, quizzing him with questions and attempting to get answers through the application of copious amounts of alcohol - damn expensive hobby, getting Irishmen drink.

FiringSquad: Hey Rory, a few of the newer readers might not know who you are - care to introduce yourself to them, tell us about what you did here and your new job at Sammy Studios?

Rory McGuire: I was a Contributing Editor to Firingsquad’s Games section. I covered a wide variety of games while I was there from Homeworld: Cataclysm to Hitman 2. I started writing for Firingsquad back when Dennis “Thresh” Fong still had his Red Annihillation Ferrari parked in the Gamers.com lobby. At Sammy Studios I’m an associate game designer on Darkwatch: Curse of the West working under Paul O’Connor and Chris Ulm.

Stealthing in the asylum

Cassidy concept

FiringSquad: You seem to have been the FS staffer most in touch with the hardcore, niche communities. What drives you to search out mods like Natural Selection or updates like Tribes 2 Classic (and Team Rabbit 2), when most people assume that CS will always rule or that Tribes 2 blew its chance at greatness?

Rory McGuire: Most people forget that CS began as a niche community as well. The concept of a military shooter at the time was limited to a small handful of games, now its almost industry standard bordering on old hat. From a general design perspective if I’d read CS on paper I would have never been interested. “When I die I sit out for five minutes and watch some guy camp the bomb, no thanks hoss.” In application its not only fun, millions of people a month think its fun. Mod makers and small developers can take gameplay risks that larger companies cannot justify to their stock holders. After CS popularized the round based system it’s now appeared in a dozen or more flagship products such as Soldier of Fortune 2 and Call of Duty. Team Rabbit 2, Natural Selection, Shattered Galaxy and a few other titles I covered really went the distance in extending their respective genres. Sammy hasn’t been risk averse compared to some of the big movers and shakers in the industry, from what I've seen. Our benefactors across the Pacific have also been very supporting of the talent behind the titles and the decisions that are made. The very fact that we are doing a vampire western, of which most players have never even heard of such a genre, implies we’re willing to take a few risks.

Asylum again

Asylum one more time

FiringSquad: What were some of your other hobbies, besides playing games and writing those excellent articles here on FiringSquad?

Rory McGuire: I was always writing: fiction, non-fiction, editorials and essays; a large portion of which sat on my hard-drive and gathered digital dust. I’ve also always been big on music, doing a bit of hobbyist mixing and collecting. Since I’ve moved down to San Diego I’ve taken up surfing. I’ve consumed more than a pound of sand and several gallons of water in the process.

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