Welcome to this week’s Gist List. First of all, my
apologies for the list being posted late this week due to technical difficulties –
The good news is that you only have to wait a few days until next Monday for the next
list. Without further ado, here’s the Gist of It this week:
Sony PlayStation 2
Sure, it’s just a technology demo, but if what Sony was showing in Japan last week is
any indication of what’s in store for the next generation PlayStation, consoles just
took one big step closer to reality. As has been rightfully pointed out, technology demos
are far different than full-blown games, but to see Crash Bandicoot running along with
about 100 fully animated penguins behind him in real-time is a sight to behold. If the
price is right on the next PlayStation unit, and thanks to backwards compatibility, Sony
is ready to show the world they aren’t about to lose the console race anytime soon.
Sega DreamCast
I had a chance to listen to Sega’s CEO Bernie Stoler give a conference call last week
to discuss the DreamCast’s potential, and he assures everyone that DreamCast is set
for a huge retail launch later this year. However, my question is this: Where are the
games? Sega is promising some exciting announcements at the Game Developer’s
Conference at E3 this year, but they are going to need at least a half-dozen
"killer" games ready for launch if they hope to really make a mark. With
PlayStation 2 looming on the horizon (even if it’s a year away), Sega needs to show
they have exciting exclusive software for their box before consumers are going to shell
out US $200-300. A good Sonic game isn’t going to cut it; let’s hope Sega has
some exciting news up their sleeves, because right now, they are pre-selling a machine
with very little announced software.
Eidos’ New Advertorials
It’s always sad when companies buy ads in magazines and then mock them up to look
like editorial coverage, but Eidos’ latest foray into what’s affectionately
known as ‘advertorial’ is just pathetic. This multi-page spread goes as far as
to present an ‘interview’ with John Romero about Daikatana, except for the fact
that it’s a paid advertisement. To me when companies decide to go this route it
suggests they can’t get press coverage through the normal routes, so they have to buy
pages of mock editorial for their games. Sure, Daikatana is late, but some magazine would
likely do an interview with Romero – Why does Eidos have to go out and spend tens of
thousands of dollars buying such an interview as advertising? It certainly questions the
legitimacy of the interview and makes it seems like Eidos is desperate for coverage –
when they really aren’t, as they do have some good looking titles due out in the next
six months.
Wages of Sin
I alluded to the impending release of this Sin add-on pack a few weeks ago and I finally
had a chance to sit down and play Wages of Sin last week. I must say I was pleasantly
surprised; the add-on pack is infinitely better than the game to be honest. Kudos to the
development team for a stunning introduction sequence that has a cinematic flair to it and
doesn’t feel like it was thrown together at the last minute. Although some of the
level design is uninspired and I’m still not very keen on the basic weapons in Sin,
if you bought the game you definitely should get the add-on pack – It will help
validate your initial purchase. Based on what I saw in the cinematics to the add-on, I can
hardly wait to see where designers take in-game cut-scenes to in 1999. I think we’re
in for some very exciting real-time storytelling.
Ultima Online on E-Bay
This news item came out of left field, but I must admit to being pleasantly surprised by
the fact that Ultima Online characters are now being sold on E-Bay. Last week Origin let
us know one character went for over $500, and this week has brought even more character
trading online. Who said all those hours you were sinking into Ultima Online
weren’t going to pay off? If anything, last week’s "character sale" is
an exciting trend for online gaming and speaks volumes to the issue of players wanting to
develop their own characters online and stick with them beyond a one-time experience. I
assume we will see more and more multiplayer games allow players to build and improve
their own characters in the future. Wouldn’t it be great if in an action game
how well you perofmrned in DeathMatch actually helped improve your character’s
abilities? Here’s to hoping!
The Too Many
Screenshot Syndrome
I’ve never quite understood why some companies continue to release dozens and dozens
of "exclusive" screenshots for their new games online. Sure, everyone wants
exclusive images, but after a while consumers get desensitized to seeing so many
screenshots of the same game. This happened to Daikatana about a year ago, but Ion has
smartly pulled back and stopped releasing images. The worst is when you see the same
environments, characters, and locations simply shown from different perspectives in a
batch of screenshots. Some games with tons of art assets might merit more screenshots than
other games that are visually monotonous, but I’m sick and tired of seeing so many
repetitive screenshots out there billed as "exclusive" images. Companies need to
learn to cut back and focus on a few key screenshots for their games that really show off
why their title is so unique.
And that’s the Gist of It for this week. Next week I’ll be back on Monday
with another Gist List. I’ll also be visiting the Game Developer’s Conference in
San Jose, California later in the week.
Your Ideas?
Do you have a suggestion about something that should be added to next week's list?
Is there a game that gist doesn't cut it or one that does it gist
right? E-mail gistlist@gameslice.com
and we'll consider your suggestion.
Thanks for reading!
Geoff
Keighley
Editor-in-Chief
GameSlice
