Black and White
After nearly three years of development, who would have thought that we'd actually be able to put Lionhead Studios' Black and White on our list of games due for release during the next few months?  Well, the time has come, as Black and White is on track for a November release around the world.  This hugely anticipated game from designer Peter Molyneux is easily one of the most ambitious and genre-busting products due for release this calendar year.  The only remaining question: does what sounds cool translate into what plays cool?

So far the answer is a resounding yes.  Set in the beautifully rendered land of Eden, your whims are the game's commands, as the world of Black and White gradually changes to reflect your moral compass.  Situations present themselves in the game's various quests, and there's never a right way to deal with problems.  You choose how to react, but be aware that the game's internal logic will actually change the environment and world to reflect how the citizens of Eden feel about you.

Of course this revolutionary aspect of the game is only the tip of the iceberg.  There's also the much-ballyhooed creature in the game, a life-size Tamigotchi that you can pet and raise as the game-world incarnation of yourself.  And then there's the interesting new feature of the villagers being able to read you any new e-mail that comes into your Outlook Inbox while you play the game.   This is a game with so many features and ideas in it that other products (no matter how ambitious) look like cookie-cutter efforts.

Mind you, it remains to be seen whether Lionhead can take all these incredible ideas and massage them into an understandable game mechanic that makes this more game than world simulator.  However, with huge risk comes the potential of huge reward, and if any game this year could have an impact that transcends the calendar year, it's apt to be Black and White.

More Black and White on GameSlice:
Impressions from Last Year's E3
Best of E3 2000 List