The European Computer Trade Show 1997 A walk through by Richard Hewison ECTS is still allegedly a 'Trade Only' event, but judging by some of the people I saw wandering around, I really don't know why they bother with the pretence any longer. The attendance for this year's show hit just over 20,000 across all three days. That's five times the number who attended the original ECTS when it was held at The Business Design Centre in Islington back in 1989 (and before you ask - yes I was there. In fact I've been to every single ECTS to date). This show was H-U-G-E. Every where I turned I saw a new area I hadn't yet explored. Unfortunately I also got the impression that it was too large for its own good. I doubt I got to see everything this year. Usually I get the chance to wander round and see everything at least twice over. Not any more. As far as hardware is concerned, the European market is still dominated by two formats - the Sony PlayStation console and IBM PC CD-ROM. The N64 lags way behind in third place and the Sega Saturn is all but dead now (although some might argue it was never really 'alive' to begin with!). The major publishers were in attendance as usual. Virgin once again had the weirdest stand. From the outside it looked like some kind of pulsating alien life form. Even weirder were the women who appeared to be propping up the staircases which lead up into the bowels of the creature! Unfortunately, once inside it was far too dark, cramped and hot for my liking. I did manage to spy "Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny" and this time it was the game and not the pre-rendered intro that was on view. However, I have to say that the technology used in the game looked disappointing. It's in 3D and the trees I saw looked more like cardboard cut-outs than convincing scenery. Time will tell how this game turns out, but considering that it's been in development for over three years I was wondering if they haven't 'missed the boat' with this one. "Blade Runner" was supposed to be on show, but this Westwood film license was only being shown 'behind closed doors' which makes me wonder if it's a bit dodgy. Suspicious mind I've got sometimes. More "Command & Conquer" games in the shape of "Sole Survivor" and "Red Alert: Aftermath" were on show. I think that this might be a case of 'too much of a good thing'. Sooner or later they're going to flog this franchise to death, and I think it's getting perilously close already! Lucasarts were showing "The Curse of Monkey Island" for the second year running, but this time we had a playable game to fiddle with. The graphics are more 'film quality' animation this time around, kind of similar to the standard set by "Broken Sword" the other year (and yes, the sequel to that game, again written by Revolution, was also on show for both PC and PSX). I also saw "Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight" which looks a little ropy when compared to "Quake", "Hexen 2" and games of a similar ilk. They also have a strategy game which is called "Star Wars Supremacy" in the US but which might be known by a different name in Europe. This is presumably due to the board game "Supremacy" rather than the ancient Probe 16-bit strategy game of the same name released about nine years ago by Virgin! Microprose have an add-on for "Magic - The Gathering" on its way. Whilst the game sold around 250,000 units world-wide, it apparently faired very poorly in the UK. The add-on is called "The Spells of the Ancients" and offers a whole range of new features. I think Sue is going to include the press release blurb elsewhere in this issue of SynTax, but suffice it to say that if you liked "Magic the Gathering" (or could even understand how to play it!) then you're bound to be interested in this. Microprose were also showing "Star Trek - First Contact" and it looked dreadfully slow. As with their last attempt at a Star Trek film license ("Generations"), a Win 95 "Doom" style environment is employed and yet again it looks lousy! On the subject of Star Trek, Interplay have two Star Trek games on the verge of release. The first is based on the original 1960s version and is called "Secret of Vulcan Fury". The rendered recreations of Spock, Kirk and McCoy don't look bad at all. The game consists of "six brand new interactive episodes written by DC Fontana" (who wrote the original TV episodes "Charlie X", "Tomorrow is Yesterday", "This Side of Paradise", "Cat's Paw", "Journey to Babel", "By Any Other Name", "The Ultimate Computer", "Friday's Child", "The Enterprise Incident", and "That Which Survives"). Shatner, Nimoy and the rest of the crew have also recorded vocal performances for the game. Let's hope they're better than the monotone efforts they put into the 25th Anniversary graphic adventure game! The second Trekkie game is "Starfleet Academy" which will feature William Shatner, Walter Koenig and George Takei in '25 challenging missions in spectacular 3-D environments' (sic). 'Your journey begins as you enter your last four semesters at Starfleet Academy. You will undertake 25 missions that will test your ingenuity, leadership and courage - all of which determine if you've got what it takes to graduate first in your class'. Interplay have classified this game as an 'action flight sim', so you're bound to have to take up various stations on the enterprise bridge along the way. The PC version will also be 3DFX enhanced. The AD&D license hasn't been used to great effect by Interplay so far. Hopefully "Baldur's Gate" and "Descent to Undermountain" might change all that. Both games are set in the 'Forgotten Realms' world. The former looks similar in style to Blizzard's "Diablo" - isometric, dark and moody. The latter looks a bit like "Tomb Raider" in appearance. The blurb from the press pack is amusing - "...featuring a playing area of limitless caverns extending over 25 levels". Erm, how can they be limitless if there are 25 levels? Interplay have also spectacularly 'missed the boat' (pun definitely intended) when it comes to their 'Waterworld' license. The film hit the cinemas over two years ago. The rental video was 18 months ago and the sell through release was over a year ago, and yet they still haven't released either game (although the 'action' title seems to have sunk without trace, leaving just the strategy game to face the music). It looks like a mix between "Dune 2" and "The Chaos Engine" with a little bit of "Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat" thrown in for good measure. The only reason why Eidos is still a going concern is solely down to the success of Core's original "Tomb Raider". No surprises then that the sequel is due to hit the shelves in November (around the time that you read this). Superficially it looks the same as the first game, but with more variety in the locations (more outside) and a more varied wardrobe for Lara Croft! A few new moves have also be incorporated into the control system. Also no surprise to see that "Deathtrap Dungeon" has had a major overhaul since the shaky version they were showing last year, and that one of the main characters has had a sex change from a Conan style man to an Amazonian style woman! I think I can see a pattern emerging here... Activision have nabbed the rights to "Quake 2" and "Hexen 2". I don't think either game needs much advance publicity. Suffice it to say that a top whack Pentium is required and that the most fun will be derived from the networked multiplayer mayhem that goes hand in hand with these types of game. Also just released is "Dark Reign", yet another "Command & Conquer" wannabe. It's also one of many games with the name "Dark..." in the title. Must be the approach of the Millennium or something! Mindscape were camped in a hotel close to the show, and were presumably showing off "Warhammer: Dark Omen" - the sequel to "WH: Shadow of the Horned Rat". The sequel is another realtime 3D fantasy strategy war game affair, with a simplified interface and improved gameplay. The graphics have also been improved but you'll need a more powerful PC to run it. A PlayStation version is due for release soon after the PC version is shipped early next year. One change which is bound to have been announced by the time you read this is that Electronic Arts will actually be publishing the game, despite it being developed by Mindscape's own in-house development team. As part of the deal, most of those involved with the creation of "Dark Omen" will join E.A. The manual will once again be written by yours truly. As for E.A., they have extra dungeon levels for "Dungeon Keeper" aptly called "The Deeper Dungeons" (the same name as U.S. Gold gave the add-on levels for their "Gauntlet" conversions a decade ago!), along with "Populous: The Third Coming" and Sid Meier's "Gettysburg" strategy game. If you're after another "Wing Commander" epic then look no further than "Wing Commander Prophecy" from Origin. There's always the RPG "Dark Earth", or "Sim City 3000" (now that EA have taken over Maxis Europe). There was also a big rumour at the show that EA were about to make a bid to take over Virgin Interactive! (By the time you read this, events might have already proven this rumour right or wrong). BBC Multimedia are to release "Doctor Who: The Destiny of the Doctors" on PC CD-ROM before Christmas. "Dr Who" is one of those licenses which has always been an enormous disappointment in computer games. Anyone care to remember the BBC's first attempt, way back in 1985 on the BBC Micro? What did we get? A cobbled together collection of dodgy arcade games. The next license went to a budget game publisher who created an awful platform shoot 'em up featuring the Daleks and the seventh Doctor. Well, this time around the BBC have clearly been undecided what type of product to go for, so they've gone for falling between two stools - it's part arcade game and part database! A new breed of multimedia no doubt. Specially shot video footage will feature the last British TV actor to play the Master (Anthony Ainley) and the remaining living actors to have played the role also chip in with voice overs. Oddly enough, the current Doctor - played by Paul McGann in the slightly naff US TV Movie - isn't mentioned in the BBC literature at all! The database has '600 entries' (are we supposed to be impressed by this?) and has been researched by ex 'Doctor Who Magazine' journalist Gary Russell. Fox Interactive have two 'X-File' products coming out soon. The first is a curious 'Web' based game where you do your investigating by sifting through pages and pages of info by hypertext link, examining pictures etc. The version on show at ECTS looked very underwhelming. The CD-ROM game is due next year, around the time of the X-Files movie which is timed to appear shortly after the end of the 5th season on US TV. The main cast are appearing in specially shot footage for the game. Fox also have a 3D arcade game based on the new 'Alien' movie - "Alien Resurrection" due for release shortly. You might ask 'who on earth are CUC software?'. Well, they now own both Sierra and Blizzard Entertainment, although it was difficult to spot the Sierra logo anywhere on their stand at the show. "Outpost 2" is now out, and is being bundled with the budget re-release of the original 'Outpost' game in certain software stores. No surprise to learn that the sequel is more of a "Command & Conquer" clone. Hopefully it will also have considerably fewer bugs than the original game! "Lords of Magic" is a strategy game where you 'test your tactical skills and experience the endless possibilities of this unique strategy game: increase your own magical powers, strengthen your position with the construction of a village fortress, wipe out enemy armies or join forces with another player and conquer the world'. You could always have a look at "Police Quest: SWAT 2" - a realtime isometric action strategy game based on real authentic SWAT tactics, or maybe have a go at Blizzard's latest effort - "Starcraft"; another realtime strategy game which has a passing resemblance to "Command & Conquer" (but then Blizzard started off by creating an identical rip off to "Dune 2" with the original "Warcraft"). Talking of Warcraft, "Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans" is an adventure game using film quality cartoon animation. "Mask of Eternity" is the latest "King's Quest" game 'designed entirely in real time 3D' - which means it will be a little more arcadey than usual for a "King's Quest" adventure. "Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire" looks like it might be along similar lines. "Betrayal in Antara" is the next in the "Betrayal..." series, and if the screenshots are anything to go by, this game looks a little long-in-the-tooth. Sierra also have an AD&D license in the shape of "Birthright: The Gorgon's Alliance". 'In this great game you play the part of 34 heroes - all gifted with special powers inherited from the gods...'. A definite trend was evident in the products on show at ECTS this year. The first was the number of games featuring busty women in 3D. The second was the number of games still trying to imitate "Dune 2 / Command & Conquer". The third was the number of games with "Dark..." in the title - "Dark Reign", "Dark Omen", "Dark Age" (from GT Interactive), "Dark Earth"...and the fourth was the sheer avalanche of arcade games coming out for the PlayStation! Fans of adventure, RPG and strategy games have a deluge of PC software on the horizon, but whether any of it offers anything new is another matter entirely. Personally I think there's far too much product about and the RRP is still too expensive on most of them. - o -