Welcome to this week's Gist List that looks at the highlights and
lowlights in gaming.
Episode I: Rogue Squadron
Last week news arrived that LucasArts was set to release a patch for the PC version of
Rogue Squadron that would let gamers fly the Naboo Fighter from Episode I (download the patch here). Although this was
exciting news for PC gamers, I think it's even more impressive the Nintendo 64 version of
Rogue Squadron also has the Naboo Fighter that can be accessed by entering a code on the
main menu (read the code
here). What's remarkable about this is the fact that LucasArts had the foresight to
include the Naboo fighter in Rogue Squadron (which shipped last November) for the Nintendo
64 and keep it a secret for such a long period of time. Way to go!
Embedded Demos
Last week I sat down to play the final version of Kingpin, and after starting the game I
was remarkably unimpressed that it starts off at the same spot as the start of the demo
that was released a few months ago. Now, don't get me wrong, the demo was great, but I
have no interest effectively re-playing the entire demo before I'm allowed to see the new
levels in the game. Game companies far too often do this with demos, and I'm sick and
tired of the practice. Here's an idea: When you finish the Kingpin demo (or any demo like
it), there should be a code listed that you can hold onto until the full game comes out.
Then when you buy the full game, you just enter the code and immediately start playing
where the demo left off. Of course the best idea is to create a demo with all new content
(like Half-Life: Uplink), but this is often impractical to pull off before a game ships.
New Quake 3 Test
I've got to hand it to id Software because the latest version of Quake 3 Test is starting
to show dramatic signs of improvement, especially in terms of the user interface. I was
floored when I actually saw a mouse-driven menu in an id product, and I'm excited to
say that Quake 3 finally makes joining an Internet game almost a single-click experience
like Half-Life thanks to an impressive menu that lists all the available servers. I think
these small interface improvements make Quake 3 much more accessible to a larger segment
of the gaming market, and I was incredibly impressed at how fast the game ran on a 56K
modem even with 16 players on a map. Although I still remain concerned about the
"single player" aspect of Quake 3: Arena, the test version shows that id is
making some welcome improvements to the game and interface model. You can download the new
version 1.06 of Q3Test here
GangBang Mode
Speaking of online multiplayer games, you've got to hand it to Xatrix for the GangBang
mode in KingPin which is at least takes some creative license with the oft-copied capture
the flag mode for online multiplayer games. It seems that there is little innovation in
the online arena in terms of fun team games that don't involve capturing the opposing
team's flag. At least GangBang adds another layer to the online team-play motif, and
here's to hoping that more developers will opt to take capture the flag to a new level and
create deeper team-oriented multiplayer experiences.
The Summer Slump?
It's a commonly held belief among software companies that releasing a game in the summer
almost renders the title DOA. In essence, everyone thinks that gamers are out at the beach
for the summer and not interested in playing games. (Yes, a number of marketing executives
had told me exactly that). Although games sales are always skewed towards the holidays
(about of 2/3rd of all game are sold during the last quarter of the year), is
summer really such a bad time to release a game? The movie industry releases the biggest
blockbusters in the summer, and most of Generation Y is out of school for the year and
ready to play. Despite these facts, game publishers (especially in the PC industry) think
releasing a game in the summer is almost taboo. The facts speak for themselves: For the
months of July and August there are very few new games scheduled to be released –
Most games will arrive in early September during the back to school rush. Is it a smart
decision to leave the summer game slate almost completely blank? I don’t think so.
I'll be back next week with more news and views from
the gaming industry.
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
