The PC Centric Extravaganza 3.25.08
Posted by Chris Evans on 03.25.2008
Univeristy work, Prey, Mass Effect and more in this week PC Centric Extravaganza!
The PC Centric Extravaganza 25th March 2008
Welcome to the PC Centric Extravaganza! I am writing this week's column on a train returning home from visiting family for Easter. Before I got on the train I was able to open a whole load of tabs in FireFox from my blog with all the news from the past week. I may have plenty of time off for University, but that doesn't mean I've had nothing to do. Done my fair share of overtime at work, ordered £200 worth of University books for my dissertation (more on that later) and loads of other stuff! Anyway I am sure that you don't want to listen to my ramblings all day, so on with the PC Centric Extravaganza!
Prey'ing Again
The folks over at CVG have confirmed Prey 2 is in the works, though right now there is no release date. They also reveal that the plot will place you back in the shoes of Tommy the star of the first game.
"This time, abandoned and framed for the disappearance of his family and girlfriend, Tommy escapes an Earth that no longer wants him for a future that cannot survive without him", is the word on the storyline.
"Building on the mind-bending portal and gravity-defying gameplay of the original with several innovative new twists, Prey 2 promises to once again take players into a compelling science-fiction world with breathtaking visuals and adrenaline-pumping action gameplay".
I never really go into Prey myself, maybe it was due to my PC not being able to handle it well at the time or that it just didn't grab my attention as I had hoped. Hopefully this can be a bit better than the original.
It will most certainly be interesting though to see what Prey 2 can do with portals. The original was one of the first games (that I am aware of) that used the idea of portals to any extent beyond the basics of getting you from A to B. They would change your position in relation to the maps and such like. Following from the success of Valve's Portal, it will certainly be interesting to see what Prey 2 can do with the idea.
PC Effect
Great news for everyone waiting for Mass Effect on the PC, it is not a port of the 360 version…it is a conversion! At least that is the word that emerges from a Eurogamer interview.
The first thing to establish about Mass Effect on PC is that it's not a port. "This is a conversion," explained BioWare demonstrator Chris Priestly. "BioWare hates ports."
(Un-Interesting side note: The band I am currently listening to have a guitarist named Priestly….cool eh?)
This really is great news for all us PC gamers who have yet to play Mass Effect. So many times recently I have seen games get ported from the consoles over to the PC and that is just what it feels like, a port. Games like Gears of War and The Club, while having some differences from their console brethren still feel decidedly console esque.
However Mass Effect for the PC is set to feature a new inventory system along with higher resolution gaming along with some other changes to make it more compatible with the myriad of options that are made available with the PC.
Good going BioWare!
Race Driver GRID = Sexy!
Just take a look at the trailer below, the first gameplay footage from upcoming Codemasters racer, Race Driver: GRID the spiritual follow up to the TOCA series. It will be landing this summer on the PC, 360, PS3 and, for some unfathomable reason, the DS!
This is actual gameplay footage, and it looks like Codie's have taken the Colin McRae DiRT engine and made it even tastier. I officially want this game!
Honestly, I know that Gran Turismo 5 is shaping up to be a gorgeous racer, but GRID looks like it will have just as gorgeous looks, and a formidable damage model too. Any racing game fans should keep their eyes on this one and expect another great game from Codemasters.
id know where the $$$ is!
It seems that the company once most closely associated with the PC, id Software, have realized that the console market is where the money is nowadays. Steve Nix of id has revealed that the company can no longer afford to ignore the ever increasing console market for FPS games. However, they are still determined to support the PC.
"So you still have PC players, and some players are just console guys, but have players moved over? Absolutely. We love PC gaming, and we continue to support PC gaming - but you can't ignore the market realities and the size of the console market these days."
The PC-Console and the ‘PC is dying' debate seems to be hotting up by the day now, can we expect to see Gabe and Co. at Valve turn around next and abandon the PC, well no, but the trend is there among many developers.
Steamworks, the ultimate developer's companion from Valve has been picking up some good support over the past week.
First off was the announcement that ,a href="http://www.halflife2.net/2008/03/20/are-the-red-trumpets-ready/" target=new>Red Orchestra was getting the Steamworks treatment which was soon followed by the addition of Ninja Reflex onto Steam in a ‘Steamworks Edition.'
Of course the first non-Valve game to get the Steamworks treatment was Audiosurf (check the RPS interview with the creator here.) which used Achievements and several other features of Steamworks to great success as witnessed by absolutely ruling Steam sales in February.
Red Orchestra has taken on the Steamworks treatment by incorporating the matchmaking services, server browser and online stat tracking.
Further Ninja Reflex has come onto Steam bringing along more Steamworks with it, and even worked it into the game name! Ninja Reflex is using the achievements from Steamworks to help show off.
These are three games that provide clear evidence of the immediate success of Steamworks which has been available for a short time. All three games are using different components of Steamworks which shows the great diversity these tools are providing to all kinds of developers.
I am sure that the coming months will see many more developers take the Steamworks tools and use them in a variety of different, but all brilliant ways. The early signs are promising for Steamworks.
University Dissertation – I Ramble
I am currently in my second year of University, and I have had to start thinking about dissertation topics as by the beginning of May I have to have written a Dissertation Proposal. Which is going to be all kinds of fun…I may actually be serious there.
I have an idea of a dissertation title: "The Digital Age: The Internet and Video Games as Political Tools and Victims of Politics." Well it is going to be something like that anyway. Why I hear you ask? Well for my the internet and video games take up a massive part of my life (wow…that sounds a bit sad) and they are of great interest to me.
I see things like the Byron Report, US Senators trying to pass anti-gaming legislation, Google censoring itself in China, the internet playing a huge part in the current US Presidential race. I see these things and I am interested greatly by them, these are things which are shaping the world as it is right now.
The internet and the video games industry are two things which are playing an ever increasing role in politics, and are being effected by politics increasingly. I feel that it is something that I have to write about considering my interest in these things and in politics.
So I have just been scouting around amazon and found nearly £200 worth of books related to my topic, and I don't think they are going to be enough for the dissertation proposal just yet, such is the life of an undergraduate.
UK Games and Politics
This is just two pieces of new I did on my blog posted here in their original order. Enjoy!
Part 1
Are the days of the BBFC soon to be up in regards to games classification in the UK? According to MCV it is! Following the Manhunt 2 affair which saw the BBFC refuse the game classification, but then get overruled by its own appeals body it seems that the BBFC is facing an uncertain future in games rating here in the UK.
The MCV article mentions that some commentators think that following this disaster for the BBFC it has lost credibility and that DR Tanya Byron is due to give her support to PEGI, the European rating board in her report due to be published soon.
It will certainly be interesting to see if the BBFC can recover from the Manhunt 2 affair and regain credibility. The PEGI rating system which currently rates games accross Europe is, in my eyes the better system offering clearer advice to parents on what different games contain.
However the PEGI ratings are not currently enforceable under law at the moment in the UK and it will be interesting to see what happens if the BBFC is forced out of the games rating scene.
Part 2
According to Games Politics the all important (to the UK at least) Byron Report is due to land on March the 27th.
I must say I am highly anticipating the report being published to see how Dr Tanya Byron has navigated her way through what is bound to be a mass of conflicting arguments, and also to manage the current anti-gaming sentiments in the Houses of Parliament.
This report could be make or break for the UK gaming industry and its significance cannot be underestimated. It the report is straight down the middle as it should be, then we should expect to see recommendations for legally enforceable age ratings on games and a recommendation to adopt the PEGI rating system over the
BBFC.
I can't wait to see what the report says, it will be of great benefit to me in my university dissertation. Soon we will find out what will happen here in the UK.
Wrapping Up!
Watch out for a new interview by me that should be appearing in the Games zone shortly. Also you know where my blog is, so a day off linking to it :P
Check out all the other great articles on 411 this week, have a great one!
