Editorial - Making Mr. Ford Dynamic

One thing many players of the original Conduit enjoyed was how 'epic' Mr. Ford truly was. He had a powerful voice, an amazing suit, and crazy alien technology to boot. Oh and he worked for the secret service once upon a time. He was an exceptional man whom all wanted to be. However, even with all these amazing attributes he still seemed to be rather 'one-dimensional' in my eyes. It could be that the original story was rather Cliché and Ford could have done much better in a more original story.

Mr. Ford in his prime.

Now don't mistake me for not enjoying the original game. I truly loved it with great passion. (I wouldn't be  writing this if I didn't.) I loved the alien tech, the human tech, and trust tech. It made for some incredible gun fights. Still, Mr. Ford seemed out of place. His character screamed for more; it seemed to want more depth. 

I'm not alone in thinking this, IGN, who gave The Conduit one of its best scores said: "If you're okay with a few presentational cliches -- a story involving aliens that seems played out..." Thinking along these lines how could Mr. Fords character not be restricted? What made this even worse is we never really saw Ford in the game. Sure we had his image on the box cover, but we never got to see his emotions in the game. I readily got bored of him having in-game chats with Adams/Prometheus. First time around I listened with every ounce of my being but on my second play through of the story I never listened to them as they never included anything profound other than directions to defeat the level. (But I will admit the plot twist in game part through me for a loop.) Furthermore, having the real dialogue take place between loading scenes seemed rather lazy to me. The conversations here were amazing and essential to the story yet, they could have served a bigger wow factor if we could have had in-game cut scenes to portray them. Furthermore, having the real dialogue take place between loading scenes seemed rather lazy to me. The conversations here were amazing and essential to the story yet, they could have served a bigger wow factor if we could have had in-game cut scenes to portray them. By doing so we would be able to get a true grasp of Ford and his ideologies and thoughts. I just felt a character who could have been just as big as the fabled Master Chief was left out in the cold. 

This is where Conduit 2 comes in. I remember thinking when Mark Sheppard was announced as no longer doing the voice of Mr. Ford that no one would be able to recreate the 'awesomeness' that was Mr. Ford. However, gaming fans were given a special treat, Jon St. John. Those of us who have been gaming for a while inevitably know of Duke Nukem. (If you don't shame on you! Google him now!) The Duke is known as the eternal badass of the gaming world. What makes the Duke really special is that he had those one liners that made you either laugh or feel that much cooler by just having heard him. (I can't post his lines here for obvious reasons.) Hopefully by using St. John Ford will get some memorable quotes of his own. I know when Jon St. John came into play I was at ease once more; for how could such an amazing voice ruin an already amazing character? (Trust me he'll actually make Ford that much cooler.) This was a great move by High Voltage Software and SEGA.

So they have the voice, it doesn't mean that Ford isn't any more dynamic than before. We still needed to Ford actually talk while we can see him. This is where HVS succeeds again. In the first (official) trailer for Conduit 2 we see Mr. Ford about to enter the Conduit to follow Adams. It was a great to see Mr. Ford in action as from that small clip I already felt his intensity to take down Adams. In fact, although Sheppard was a great fit I couldn't help but wonder why they didn't just use Jon St. John from the start. The voice fits so smoothly and now that we know Ford will be getting some formidable new armor further justifies the shift in voice.

So now Ford has moved from being 'one dimensional' to being 'two dimensional' but we still need more. In The Conduit the most interaction Ford ever received was when he first met Prometheus. Outside that Ford was all alone. Ford needs other characters in the game to help develop who he is and give him that final edge. From what we've gathered at The Portal we know this to be true. HVS announced Ford will be interacting with various characters throughout the game. Many have speculated at a 'love interest' Ford could develop in the game. I for one am against this because it would tie down and give him a weakness. However, I am for a hardcore butt-kicking Lara Croft like character to aid Ford in the story. By having that connection Ford will be able to relinquish he thoughts and feeling to something other than a trapped subconscious in an floating round sphere. Like stated Ford will meet someone and if HVS did it right they'll be more than just talking directions. I'm sure they made them an integral part of the story. I know it would seem best if Ford was ostracized the whole time but that would make it just as monotonous as the original.

This man holds all the cards...

In reality I asked for two things (both of which should be changing) and got a third as a sweet surprise. Mr. Ford is as great as any other character I have ever known. He's my favorite character and I think he could go toe-to-toe with anyone out there. If Conduit 2 succeeds in making him as dynamic as possible it opens a whole world of new possibilities. We know of his past as described in The Conduit; why not create a prequel so we get to know how he came to be so talented? In fact, by doing so HVS could create a game where the events of these 2 games have passed and have the third be in a distant future where Ford is old and retired but the earth needs is help once more. So much is open by giving Mr. Ford some simple tune ups. Imagine one day playing as Mr. Ford in an iteration of Super Smash Brothers. If Snake made the cut Ford can too.

Conduit 2 has a lot of expectations for me but the development of Mr. Ford is one of the biggest.  If they push the envelope and give players a character as memorable as Master Chief, Samas Aran, and Duke Nukem, HVS and SEGA will have created the next world wide phenom.