Archive for the 'Preview' Category

BioWare Brings Companions, Epic Combat to ‘The Old Republic’

Published
on December 4, 2008
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An Edge magazine preview of the new Star Wars MMO The Old Republic has new details on how BioWare’s first attempt at a massively multiplayer game will differ from the competition in atmosphere and play style, including the use of companion characters.

“This is a faster-paced system that focuses on making the player feel like a hero,” said Creative Designer James Ohlen. “Four players all beating on one enemy; that’s not what you think of as heroic. It’s usually the heroes who are outnumbered, and that’s the kind of feeling we’re going for.”

BioWare is trying to integrate the epic, personal, and ascending narratives of their single player titles into the MMO genre, where individual players are normally cogs in a massive machine and one hero among thousands.

Lead Writer Daniel Erickson said that players would have to make big, character-defining choices and live with the consequences, but could not say if or how those choices would change the game world.

The Edge mentioned companion characters as one BioWare mainstay making its way into the game. A single ally can fight alongside a player character, and these allies have opinions and backstories.

Their role is to continually comment on, and presumably try to influence, your behaviour. Greg Zeschuk (BioWare’s president and co-founder) describes them as “the lens through which you see the world,” and they won’t hesitate to make their feelings known, good or bad, and will even abandon you if you’re constantly doing things they object to.

The article also gives early impressions of the new game’s art style.

The game takes a few visual cues from the new Clone Wars aesthetic introduced by the recent film and TV series: characters have simplified body structures, bright flat colors and the odd exaggerated feature. Each asset is hand-painted rather than using photo-sourced textures, giving everything a slightly unreal and highly distinctive sheen.

This is the same approach that Blizzard took with World of Warcraft. They compensated for aging graphics with unique art and design that kept everything fresh. Its the most economic plan for MMOs because it allows for stunning visuals and an expansive user base to play on low-end machines.

Can the ‘Mirror’s Edge’ Experiment Go Mainstream?

Published
on November 8, 2008
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Mirror’s Edge is proof that publisher Electronic Arts can still innovate, but will the unique take on FPS gameplay pay off?

“Executing an unbroken flow from A to B is what Mirror’s Edge is all about,” says Edge Magazine in a staff preview of the new game. “Stringing together a few moves increases your speed, and there’s a purity and zing to bouncing between surfaces and popping over a low handrail in one smooth motion.”

The gameplay, especially the focus on weapon-less combat, that has drawn so much critical praise could turn away casual FPS gamers used to running and gunning tactics that won’t work in Mirror’s Edge. Instead the game asks players to sprint past enemies and over obstacles and to leap without looking.

This style immerses you in the world and the adrenaline-rush of its main character, but it runs contrary to a generation of FPS instinct. “Overcoming inclinations toward caution and inertia in first-person should perhaps have been one of the tutorial’s priorities,” the Edge article comments.

It’s a self-perpetuating cycle — gameplay conventions become instincts among gamers and hard to break. A steep learning curve accompanies any deviation from the old ways, and experimental games often seem unpolished by comparison to the tried-and-true.

This makes Mirror’s Edge confusing initially. “Your first steps are bewildering, but they soon become bewitching and even oddly familiar,” says the Edge preview. “It isn’t an FPS, not as we think of them. It’s a Full-on Platformer, Stupid.”

Mirror’s Edge comes out next Tuesday on Windows, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360.

PREVIEW: BioWare Fine-Tunes ‘Mass Effect’ for PC Release

Published
on April 13, 2008
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Although the PC port of “Mass Effect” was recently pushed back to May 28, it’s still worth getting excited about, especially if you have yet to play through the game. BioWare promises to offer a polished version of the role-playing game originally released on the Xbox 360 last November.

BioWare has yet to say if the PC release will include any additional content, but the gameplay is being improved. Combat will take on PC shooter controls, and your two cohorts will be managed with a reformatted heads-up display, revealed just last week. In addition to better organizing party management, this HUD allows you to issue separate move orders to your party members.

'Mass Effect' PC HUD

Inventory management, which was a pain in the ass on the Xbox 360 version of “Mass Effect,” should be much more fluid in the PC release. Items that were once lumped into a long list will be sorted by type and grade.

BioWare is also improving the game’s already impressive graphics for the PC release, says 1UP’s Jeremy Parish. Textures look more detailed, colors more vibrant. Character animations may need improving, according to 1UP’s preview.

Performance-wise, “the development team wants the game to run smoothly, even on a lower-powered system,” writes Parish, “although they won’t say precisely what they consider ‘lower-powered.’” Because the game will be installed, load times are much reduced (although I’m somewhat frightened by how much hard disk space the extensive dialog will take up).

I’m glad BioWare chose to focus on gameplay for the PC release of “Mass Effect.” The original was a great game bogged down by a clunky interface and party control, both of which should work much better with a PC. This more polished version of one of last year’s best games should hold us over until the promised “Mass Effect 2.”

EDIT: The PC version of “Mass Effect” will also include the “Bring Down the Sky” DLC and its 90 minutes of additional gameplay for free, reports Shacknews. There’s one more reason everyone who bought the Xbox 360 release should have held out: Xbox users had to pay 400 Microsoft Points, just over $5, for the content.

PREVIEW: ‘Age of Decadence’ Harkens Back to RPG Classics

Published
on March 24, 2008
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I think back to games like “Baldur’s Gate II” and “Planescape: Torment” as the epitome of gaming narratives. The lack of photorealistic graphics and voice acting allowed developers to create non-linear experiences with literary exposition and protagonists born entirely out of the imagination of the player.

“Age of Decadence,” an intriguing offering from the small and independent staff at Iron Tower Studio, promises to be an RPG in that traditional sense.

“Age of Decadence” art from irontowerstudio.com

“Age of Decadence” is turn-based and isometric with a well-developed character creation system and an emphasis on player-driven plot. The game immediately brings to mind classics like “Temple of Elemental Evil” and the “Baldur’s Gate” series, and is set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world torn apart by magic.The game boasts around 100 total quests, including no MMORPG-like delivery or hitlist missions, and over 20 large areas.

“Overall, dialogues and choices are the main aspect of the game and the main attraction,” said lead designer and writer Vince D. Weller in an interview at Gnome’s Lair.

“We have seven different endings and only two involve mortal combat,” Weller continued. “You’ll be able to talk your way in and out of trouble, make allies and enemies (there are no default good and bad guys), and handle quests in non-combat ways using dialogues and text adventure elements.”

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