Welcome to this pre-E3 Gist List from GameSlice. This
week we have a slightly abbreviated list as we prepare for E3, but look forward to our
full blown coverage of E3 starting next week. More details on that at the end of this
week's list.
Theme Park World
Last week
I made mention of the announcement Bullfrog is bringing Themepark to 3D with Theme Park
World, and now we have the first screenshots from the game – Suffice to say, I can
hardly wait to see this running at E3! Theme Park was a guilty pleasure of mine a few
years ago, and if Bullfrog can avoid the rut of intense micromanagement the first game
fell prey to, I think they have a winner on their hands. So far there have been very few
simulation or strategy games that truly benefit from the use of 3D acceleration, but Theme
Park World looks like it really will get a whole new lease on life thanks to the 3D
approach. We will have more news on this title soon.
(See Screenshot #2 Here)
Ten Gets 30 Million?
A few years ago TEN (Total Entertainment Network) was supposed
to be the next big thing – an online game service. However, TEN's model of charging
players to use the service quickly backfired when a lot of gaming companies set up free
online services (such as Battle.net, Won.net and Westwood Online). TEN wasn't the only
company promising to become the outpost for online gaming; groups such as Engage,
GameStorm, and Mplayer all took a stab at the market too with little success. I had all
but considered TEN a distant memory when I read last week that the company had just
received US $30 Million in financing. Is it just me, or it this perhaps one of the most
precarious investments ever made? Online game services such as TEN have serious flaws in
their business models, and these flaws can't just be ironed out by throwing money at the
problem. Chock one up in the bad investment category.
Lands of Lore III
Westwood Studios has been relatively quiet as of late, in part
due to the fact that Tiberian Sun has been delayed time and again. (It seems on schedule
to appear early this Summer). However last week the company released Lands of Lore III
– no subtitle this time – which is the latest addition to Westwood's action/RPG
brand that hit a rough spot with the second game that wasn't very well received by gamers
or critics (although it sold quite well). Unfortunately, Lands of Lore III doesn't deliver
either. Although it sports some incredible cinematics and a majestic musical score, a poor
3D game engine hinders the game from the get-go – After all, who wants to walk around
a forest that looks like a neatly crafted square was cut right through the middle of it as
a path? Large-asset games such as RPGs have always suffered the problem of taking so long
to complete the technology is often ancient by the time the game ships, but it's no excuse
for dated technology. Sure, Lands of Lore III has a lot of rich content going for it, but
who wants to invest countless hours playing a game that is finicky in its control –
searching for items is beyond tedious – and graphically unimpressive? Don't be fooled
by the incredibly beautiful box design – If you didn't like Lands of Lore II, this
game isn't much better.
Demos Too Far in Advance of Game?
It used to be a case that game companies would be pretty on
the mark in releasing game demos right around the time their product released to retail.
Not anymore. Today we see game demos coming out months and months in advance of a game
shipping – Take, for example, a demo such as Heavy Gear II, which has been released
for months with the full game no where in sight. Coupled with this example are countless
games that now release "beta demos" in order to gauge user feedback – A
case in point is StarSiege, which had an publicly available alpha version for what seemed
like over a year. I have no problem with game companies soliciting user feedback ahead of
time, but it's important to make sure a game's thunder is with the lightning. In other
words, unless your demo is the most incredible piece of gaming ever seen on a PC, if the
full game isn't shipping within a month or two, gamers are going to find something new to
set their sights on.
Our E3 Coverage
Starting next Monday GameSlice will be live in Los Angeles at
the Electronic Entertainment Expo to give you the inside scoop on the show. We don't
promise the most screenshots or the most extensive coverage known to man, but what we do
promise is more inside scoop and scuttlebutt than you'll find anywhere else online. Each
night of the show I'll be filing a report on the real happenings at the show, just as I
have done for the past five years. Next week we will have a special E3 Gist List on
Monday, and then daily coverage will begin on Wednesday through the weekend, culminating
with our "Five Surprise Games" the following Monday. From the Playboy Mansion to
the show floor, GameSlice will have E3 covered. Stay tuned!
The E3 Outlook:
Homeworld
Our final E3 outlook game is Homeworld from Relic Entertainment and Sierra
Studios. My first experience with the game came at a Sierra-sponsored press party in San
Francisco just over a year ago, and ever since then I've kept my eye on this exciting game
that looks to truly set itself apart from the glut of RTS clones out there. Last year the
game was just starting to take shape at E3, but this year expect Homeworld to be in full
force as the developers showcase the single-player component and the refined interface
that, in my opinion, is the first implementation of a 3D that really works for an RTS.
Look for Homeworld to really make its mark at E3 this year. I'm eager to see the latest
version. The game should be shipping later this Summer.
And that's The Gist of It.
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
