News

With E3 recently taking place in Los Angeles, there's been news
galore on the Internet. So here are a few snippets about some of
the upcoming games.

Syberia 2

Alex enthused about the first Syberia game, and no I haven't
played it yet but it *does* look good, as does the sequel.
Adventure Gamers at www.adventuregamers.com/display.php?id=254
have an interview with Benoit Sokal, the designer. At the moment
Microids, the publishers, haven't got anything about it on their
site but according to the interview it will have a number of
improvements on the first game. It will be released at the end of
the year.

"Like the original game, Syberia 2 also puts the player in the
guise of Kate Walker and the demo we got to play gave us a limited
exposure to the full game. Syberia 2 will once again have very
detailed 2D background with 3D models for the characters in the
game. We roamed around a railroad station in our demo, including
inside a railroad car, had some conversations with a couple of the
characters in the game (including a Russian looking and sounding
proprietor of a store) and tried our hands on one of the puzzles
which involved trying to fix a simulated horse device. "

Broken Sword 3

BS3 aka The Sleeping Dragon is due out in October. Here's some
info from the publishers' site:

The Broken Sword series has drawn critical acclaim from hard- core
and adventure gamers alike, and the third in the series is set to
further broaden this appeal. Broken Sword:The Sleeping Dragon
brings a unique and fresh approach to adventure games, with a
revolutionary interface, strong story-line and stunning graphical
presentation.

"The success of the first two titles in the series speaks for
itself, and we're confident that the latest incarnation will be a
massive success," commented, Richard Wah Kan, CEO, "..it could
change the face of adventure gaming for good!"

The story revolves around the adventurous George and Nico, as they
fight sinister forces, an ancient conspiracy, and a fiendish
source of pure evil. Fighting through the steaming jungles of the
Congo, eerie castles in Prague, the chic back-streets of Paris and
the historic English village of Glastonbury, the duo must unravel
the secrets of an evil power, the Sleeping Dragon, and save
mankind.

Charles Cecil, Managing Director, Revolution Software, and the
creative genius behind the trilogy, is confident in his latest
endeavor, "Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon is the most ambitious
title that Revolution has written to date. We have huge ambitions
for the game, and are delighted to be working with The Adventure
Company on this title."

Written very much as a suspenseful thriller, with the look and
feel of a Hollywood action film, players will face new and unique
challenges as they explore a whole new world full of exotic
locations.

Full Throttle 2: Hell on Wheels

Yes, it's on its way, due out in December. Here's some E3 info:

As with the previous game, Full Throttle II: Hell On Wheels
combines traditional adventure gaming with a variety of arcade
action. This time however, Ben is able to move freely in a 3D
world and engage in direct-controlled action gameplay. We saw Ben
go mano-a-mano with a number of villains in a way similar to
Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb. It's possible to pick up
chairs, wooden planks and other props for use as weapons.  Ben
also has a mojo bar-when fully charged he's able to pull off
special moves such as head butts.

LucasArts wasn't able to show much of the adventure elements just
yet, but when asked about the gameplay balance, Melena Slettom,
assistant producer for Full Throttle II, said: "It's a 50/50 mix.
We're really trying to stay true to the original Full Throttle and
keep all of those really good adventure elements in there but
touch it up a little bit with a few more action elements. But we
try to maintain that mix about 50/50."

In the classic adventure style, you'll be able to talk with all
the characters. Ben may be tough but his fists won't get him out
of every situations. Some will require his wits in order to figure
them out. The Polecats-sign interface has been transferred almost
unchanged to the new game, with options for looking, grabbing,
talking/licking and kicking.

With character models that are much more comical than the grittier
original, Full Throttle II looks to be a more lighthearted game.
Besides the basic premise, LucasArts is staying tight- lipped
about the story. So whether the game will stay true to the legacy
of the original game remains to be seen. More details are to be
expected in the many months to come, including an announcement on
the game's rock & roll soundtrack, which according to LucasArts
will feature some well-known bands.

Curse of Atlantis: Throgal's Quest

This is yet another upcoming point and click adventure.  It's from
DreamCatcher and The Adventure Company who have this to say about
it:

The Adventure Company's latest release sends gamers on an epic
journey where they must change the fated future of a mighty Viking
warrior's family. Set in ancient times, when Vikings ruled the
earth, players take on the persona of Thorgal Aegirsson, a
descendant of Atlantis. After witnessing a vision of Thorgal
murdering his own son, players follow an intriguing story-line as
they seek to solve this magical mystery.

"Thorgal's Quest offers all the elements of a classic adventure
game," said Richard Wah Kan, CEO of DreamCatcher Interactive Inc*.
"A rich and intriguing storyline, interesting characters and an
unforgettable ending combine to make an enjoyable gaming
experience."

Based on the popular comic book series in Europe, Curse of
Atlantis: Thorgal's Quest is set in beautiful environments where
players must search multiple paths solving challenging puzzles and
interact with numerous characters they meet to reverse a horrific
curse.

The Sims 2

Yes, this is due some time during the year. Two big features of
the new game will be that it's fully rendered in 3D and characters
age during the game.  Here's a GameSpy snippet:

During the demo, we witnessed another new effect. It started to
rain. The lighting of the scene changed as the dreary clouds moved
in, and the Sims themselves all reacted with dismay as the
raindrops came down. (The unfortunate Sim who opted to remain in
the hot tub was in for a shock when the lightning struck...)

The new perspective allows you to really see the
characters.Amateur architects will appreciate the new building
options and the freedom they have to build houses in 3D. You can
now build modular stairways with curves, for instance, instead of
standard straight stairs. You can have multilevel foundations,
including a basement. The pad they were showing off for the demo
was a classy affair with a wrap-around deck outside the second
floor that had a pine wood staircase along the outside of the
house. You can also now build windows on any wall, including
diagonally-oriented ones, fixing a pet peeve I had with the
original. In the final version of the game, players will also have
a lot more flexibility with decor. So when you buy a new couch or
chair, you'll finally be able to upholster it to your tastes!

Another real advantage to the new engine is that you can zoom in
way closer to the action. You can really see the Sims and their
facial expressions now, so the whole experience is a lot more
personal. This also helps to highlight the major changes in the
new version, which allow you to customize Sims like never before
and watch them change over time.

The Movies - www.themoviesgame.com

Light, camera, action! Have you fancied being a movie director?
With this strategy game, you can have your chance. This is what
the official site says:

The Movies is a game that gives you the opportunity to run your
own Hollywood movie studio. It ranges from the early days of the
1920s silent black and white films through to the present day and
into the near future.

You decide which movies you make. You decide the content, the sets
you film on, the actors and their costumes. Hire and fire the
people you want!

Do you want to make the first war film, use colour for the first
time or even push the creative boundaries of film-making? You can!

Every movie you make will generate a short promotional trailer
containing all the choices you made about the content of the film;
your content, actors, sets, lighting and sound. The trailer
displays the scenes in a cinematic style and from the perspective
of a finished film. If you're creative, your trailer can be a work
of art!

And if you make a cool enough trailer, save it, put it on the net
or e-mail it around.

Every film you have in production has a web page automatically
created for it. The page hypes up the movie, selling the concept,
naming the stars and mentioning movies they previously starred in.
The player's name is mentioned as the owner of the studio that has
the movie in production. The estimated release date is displayed.
This is the date that people can expect to see your trailer!

The Movies starts in the 20s, when, if you want, you can churn out
lots of films cheaply and quickly. As time goes by, and sound and
colour are introduced, you can choose to make more epic
productions. Then you can introduce special effects, new camera
techniques, 3D, smellovision and more to amaze the audience.
Bringing the film world up to date, you can use computer graphics
and, as you go into the near future, holograms and other new
technologies.

As head of a Hollywood studio, you choose what you want to get
involved with. You can take control of the deals and play with the
cashflow to make as much money as possible. You can spend as much
time on your sets as you like, altering the sets, hiring or
binning people. You can go through the slush pile of scripts to
decide which films to greenlight. You can even spend time working
on the next technological breakthroughs to bring the crowds
flocking to the film theatres. By delegating tasks to others you
can spend your time doing whatever you want.

It is possible to upload the trailers for any of the films you
have made to the internet for everyone to see. Anyone viewing the
trailers can award them a rating from 1 to 100. Every month an
awards ceremony sends the creator of what is deemed to be the best
trailer a congratulatory email and possibly a prize.  Alongside
the trailer the amount of money the movie has taken at the box
office to date is displayed.

As a film-maker, you don't just play with the technical side of
movies. You also deal with Hollywood's best stars, biggest egos,
hugest paycheques and craziest performers. The stars live in a
world of their own, and if you want the big names, you'll need to
massage the egos, allow the vanity and defuse the tantrums. Can
you coax the performance of their lives out of them?

In The Movies you get to design and run your studio from the early
days of cinema through to the present day and beyond.  And by
customising the look, names, clothes and vocals of the cast and
crew you can mirror reality. Hire and fire your favourite stars!
Use the best directors! Even put yourself and your friends into
the film world!

Whether you want to pioneer every advance and each new technology,
or whether you just want to make the best movies you can, you'll
be in charge of one of Hollywood's dream factories.

Dungeon Siege 2 - www.dungeonsiege.com/ds2.shtml

The site for this game has recently been opened but all it's got
is a loading screen. Watch this space for news as it happens.

Age of Mythology: The Titans

This will be an expansion pack for the original game. There wil be
some new units for the original factions (Norse, Greeks and
Egyptians) and another faction, the Atlanteans, has been added.
They worship the Titans who were overthrown by Zeus. But the
Titans are back, thanks to all this religeous support, and looking
for a fight!  They include Gaea, the earth goddess, Cronos the god
of time and Ouranous, the sky god.

                                                     Sue


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