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Brevity
05-15-2003, 08:32 AM
Halo 2 (Xbox)
The Master Chief is back, wowing the crowds at E3 with a glimpse at the continuing war with the Covenant.
By Sal "Sluggo" Accardo | 5/15/2003

All screenshots Developer: Bungie
Publisher: Microsoft
Release Date: January 2004
Genre: Action

When it comes to E3 presentations, it's not often that you get a solid round of applause before you even kick off your demo. Then again, there aren't many games like Halo 2, and Bungie's sequel -- being shown off in a theater at the Microsoft booth -- has had people waiting in line for hours for a glimpse at the highly anticipated Xbox title. After seeing the demo for ourselves, we'd have to say: it's worth the wait.


The demo was played live for us by the game's lead designer, who quickly found himself in a argument with an on-screen sergeant (staged, of course), who informed the crowd that we about to see "a work in progress". Halo 2 is set on Earth, as the Covenant has finally located our home planet, and the battle was about to take place on what appeared to be the eastern seaboard of the U.S. After a few moments of levity (including a tiny old-school pixilated version of the Chief kicking a similarly rendered version of a Covenant alien in the rear, and the sergeant referring to our presenter as the "demo be-yatch"), the proper portion started up.

The beginning of the demo started with the Chief -- and AI Cortana in tow -- heading for the landing area in a Pelican dropship. On the super-large presentation screen, it was hard to tell how much of an improvement has been made in the graphics department. The game still has the same basic look and feel as the world of Halo (which isn't a knock, as the first game is still drop-dead gorgeous). There were new some jaw-dropping effects, such as a Covenant ship bombing a human building, nearly filling the entire screen with the glow from the explosions.

Once on the ground, the Chief fights a group of Grunts, using a new sniper rifle and picking off the little guys one by one. After clearing out the area, the Chief met up with the on-site commanding officer, who gives the Chief another new present: dual machineguns. From here, the Chief wasted no time jumping down into the action, mowing down more Grunts around a series of corners before running across a squad of five Elite, advancing on your position from behind their energy shields … until a friendly Marine arrives on the scene in a Warthog and quickly runs a few over.


From here, the demo shifted to vehicular combat, and -- if this demo is any indication -- Halo 2 appears to expand greatly on what players got to do in the original Halo. In the original game, your fellow soldiers were only useful for shooting other enemies; now, they're fully licensed to drive, and one extended sequence features the Chief manning a gun in the rear of a Warthog, taking down numerous flying Covenant craft, while another Marine handles chauffeur duty.

Perhaps the highlight of the demo was after the Chief has dismounted, with a Ghost hovercraft coming his way. Timing his jump, the Chief was able to jump on top of the Ghost, perform a side kick to dislodge the driver, and assume control of the Ghost (sending the crowd crazy).

Overall, the demo had an extremely cinematic feel to it, packed wall-to-wall with what appeared to be scripted sequences and memorable moments, right up to the finale where the Chief -- after an extended hovercraft chase -- barely sails through the closing gates of the city highway system as it's being shut down. It was only an 8 minute demo, but packed in more exciting and memorable moments that you sometimes see in an entire game. Outdoing Halo is a tall order, but if Bungie can keep up this level of action throughout the entire game, there's no doubt Halo 2 will be an instant classic the moment it's released in early 2004.

cont....

Brevity
05-15-2003, 08:33 AM
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2
Snowblind serves a second helping of it stellar action-RPG.
By Raymond "[GSI] Psylancer" Padilla | 5/14/2003



All screenshots Developer: Black Isle Studios
Publisher: Interplay
Release Date: 2003
Genre: RPG


• More Info About This Game

Snowblind Studios developed one of the most pleasantly surprising games of 2001 in Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. Brandishing the same name (or part of it anyway) as one of the most successful PC role-playing games (RPGs), Dark Alliance brought gamers a lovely mélange of the richness of the Forgotten Realms universe and addictive gameplay geared towards console gamers. The developer is currently working on a sequel appropriately named Dark Alliance II. Continuing the narrative of the first game, the second installments will also feature more classes, deeper story, more side quests, and improved graphics. It will be everything that people loved about the original taken to the next level.

Players that finished the first game are familiar with its cliffhanger ending. The sequel picks up right after the events of the first game ends. Precise story details have yet to be revealed, but the developer promises that the narrative will be richer and more evenly spread out (one of the complaints with the first game was that after chapter one, the story fizzled). There will also be more side quests -- complete with hidden areas -- that are better integrated into the plot. Rather than simple item fetching found in the first game, the side quests in Dark Alliance 2 will have a real impact on the narrative.

Making the biggest impact in the game are the five characters you can choose from. The classes are more diverse and more evenly developed (no cheap ball-lightning campaigns with the sorceress!) this time around. The bad boys and girls on the roster are a human barbarian, a moon elf necromancer, a human cleric, a dwarven fighter-thief, and a drow monk. Each class has skills and feats native to it, making each gameplay experience different. Furthermore, the classes are more complimentary, making the game's cooperative mode more entertaining.

Especially notable are the cleric, necromancer, and monk. Loaded with all kinds of support and healing spells, the cleric is the perfect coop companion. Players can now experience the game through evil eyes as the necromancer. And playing as a drow, let alone a drow monk, is always a favorite activity for gamers. Even though I didn't pimp the barbarian (did I just write that?) as a noteworthy class, power players will relish his ability to dual wield two-handed weapons.


Using the same engine, Dark Alliance 2's visuals are nearly the same as the originals. There are some nice enhancements like improved lighting, spell effects, and animations, but don't expect a quantum leap in graphics. Instead of trying to push new graphical effects, the developers are focusing on creating more diverse environments.

Being a fan of Forgotten Realms novels, unlocking the secret character Drizzt Do'Urden and playing the game as him in the first Dark Alliance was one of my fondest gaming experiences. The sequel will have at least three unlockable characters. I'm not permitted to reveal their identities at this time, but I'll tell you this: Forgotten Realms fans will be thrilled.

Non-player characters (NPCs) will be more developed this time around. They'll also be recurring, popping up at various moments throughout the game's four chapters. One NPC will even create golems to aid you in your quest. You'll also encounter people that will give you ingredients to use in the game's item-creation system, which the developer is being tight lipped about.

The original Dark Alliance was my favorite game of 2001. The sequel is shaping up to be my favorite game of 2003. It has the hack-and-slash RPG elements and cooperative play that made its forerunner such a treat, but with a slew of new features that should make it even sweeter. Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance 2 will be available this holiday season.

Brevity
05-15-2003, 08:34 AM
Fable
The name may have changed, but it is still one of the most anticipated RPGs for the Xbox.
By John "Warrior" Keefer | 5/14/2003



All screenshots Developer: Big Blue Box
Publisher: Microsoft
Release Date: March 2003
Genre: RPG


• More Info About This Game

Project Ego started the ball rolling, getting fans excited about a this RPG for the Xbox where your character can age from early 20s to become an old man. But, just as fans were starting to get used to the name, the "working title" was changed to Fable. While the name has changed, the core gameplay has not -- and the game continues to look better each time we see it.

Peter Molyneux, head of Lionhead Studios and the usual spokesman for this title from Big Blue Box, has maintained since the game's announcement at E3 2001 that the player will control the game through the choices they make. Whether learning behaviors from NPCs, or boasting to crowds how they can complete difficult quests, the game will allow the player to BE a hero -- even an evil one.


This guy leans a bit toward the evil side."When you play RPGs these days, the world doesn't appreciate that your character is the hero," he said. "In Fable, the world will recognize your deeds, good or evil, and let you know it."

The game is set up to recognize how you play, so if you like to play with swords, the character avatar becomes more buff. Using magic more will make the character look more mysterious. And playing evil will slowly change the physical features so that just looking at the character will let NPCs and other players know to stay clear.

A new aspect of the game that hadn't been shown before was the concept of the hero guild. Players get quests from the guild. Then they can earn more gold at the "boasting podium." Crowds like to gather around heroes and the podium allows for appropriate hero worship. The player can get on the podium after he receives a quest and boast how he will accomplish it. With the number of boasts will be limited, Molyneux said there will be plenty to keep the player busy. The boasts can also be compounded to make the quest even more difficult -- and profitable.

In one example that was shown, the character gets a quest where he needs to rescue some women who were captured by bandits. The hitch is that the bandits start killing one woman at a time as the quest progresses, and if the character waits too long, too many women die and his heroic persona takes a pretty big hit.

To make the quest more challenging, our braggart of a hero promises to complete the quest with his bare hands and no weapons (oohs and aahs from the crowd). Spurred on by their approval, he bets that he can even accomplish the quest in under five minutes (cue the applause). Again, if he fails to fulfill these boasts, he can kiss his promising reputation goodbye.


Slowing down time.The combat and magic system also offers what has become traditional action-RPG fare. The player can choose a weapon that he wants to use regularly. The more it is used, the more proficient the character becomes in using the weapon, allowing such things a finishing moves and additional "flourishes" that provide attack bonuses. Magic works in a similar way. The more certain spells are used, the stronger they can become. A simple push spell could eventually become powerful enough to push the skeleton from a person's body. A simple slow spell can grow in power to allow all time to be slowed except for the player. Some other spells include drain and berserk (infer from those names the traditional RPG style effects).

Part of the player feeling like they are alive and part of the game is the ability to buy a home, get married, have kids, and even own a shop and get money from it. Want to get a shop? Kill the shop keeper, wait until the shop comes on the market and then buy it. Of course, there's probably a more honest way to do that if you have scruples.

In one of the scenarios, Molyneux explained that the character had gotten married to the mayor's daughter, getting more than 10,000 gold as a dowry. However, being the adventurous sort, he hasn't been home or spent much time with the wife. He enters his house and immediately gets nagged and chewed out for his scurrilous ways. "If she starts to bug you too much, just kill her," he said. "You can do it."

Another aspect of the game that is interesting is the ability to learn new behavior. If the character hears a phrase or sees an NPC action that he'd like to learn, it can be bound to a keypad button and used wherever the player deems it appropriate (or inappropriate, as the case may be). And these learned behaviors will get reactions from NPCs. Learn a belch and be branded as "disgusting." Molyneux said there can be hundreds of learned abilities with a player getting access to eight at any one time.

Molyneux said there is a team of 70 people working diligently to complete the game. It is "more than 50 percent done, but less than 100 percent," he joked, adding that they are doing doing optimizations, fixing scripting issues and modifying camera angles. There are 10 huge story elements that have been finished and the game design is pretty much done.

"With Fable, we really want the player to feel like a hero, do heroic things and create a life within the game," he said. "I really think we are going to accomplish that."

Brevity
05-15-2003, 08:35 AM
Grabbed by the Ghoulies
Rare's first Xbox game is a spooky, colorful surprise.
By christian "ferricide" nutt | 5/14/2003



All screenshots Developer: Rare
Publisher: Microsoft
Release Date: TBA
Genre: Action


• More Info About This Game

Microsoft's purchase of Rare out from under Nintendo -- or, perhaps, after Nintendo was done with them -- has been much discussed over the past many months. At this year's E3, they brought three games along to highlight the beginning of their collaboration. The previously unannounced Grabbed by the Ghoulies will be the first Rare game Microsoft ships, as it's slated to release around Halloween this year. There's good reason for that, as the game's spooky mansion theme is perfectly suited to that holiday.

GBTG stars Cooper, a spunky young blonde lad who comes to a dilapidated mansion inhabited by Ghoulies -- which seems to be the generic term for the varieties of cartoon spooksters which inhabit the demented mansion. As Cooper, you'll travel from room to room of the mansion, beating on Ghoulies and breaking the evil Baron's possessions, assisted all the while by a helpful butler who dispenses constant advice and even helpful items.

The game's control is very simplistic -- in my opinion, overly so. You'll move with the left stick and attack with the right. Instead of jamming on the controller buttons to perform combos, simply swinging and holding the stick towards enemies produces a flurry of punches and kicks. It's slightly less kinetic than a good beat-'em-up should be. To the good, you can pick up items littered throughout the levels and break 'em over the heads of the enemies. Even I can't argue with the idea of breaking a chair over a zombie's head.

Some special items will also be handed down to you by the helpful butler. To combat mummies, you'll need an oversized fiery candle which can burn their wrappings. Any special item has a fuel meter in the bottom right, but if you pause from using it it'll recharge. There's also a Super Soaker-style gun filled with holy water that does a great job on zombies, who are otherwise tough customers.

What I found confounding about the E3 demo was that although your character automatically locks onto the closest target, there's no way to snap the camera towards the enemy he's facing. There's a sluggish rotation system on the L and R triggers, however.

Playable at the show, there was a level called "Undead Disco Divas" which featured a raving hoard of zombies and skeletons to dispense with. Charging into the battle was a blast, but Cooper's wimpy punches and kicks are no match for a dozen or more enemies with more health and power than he has. The Microsoft representative behind me remarked that kids will love the game, but unless they do something about the difficulty they might not get a chance.

Still, the game's vibrant and colorful graphics create a pleasant atmosphere, and the game is built on a solid foundation. The scary similarities to Luigi's Mansion can't be ignored -- it's Rare's quick haunted house project that's a sort of speed bump on the way to greater things. I'm particularly surprised that there was no multiplayer option in the E3 demo. Hopefully the game will ship with a second player capability, as that's where the genre typically shines. Still, the game looks very polished and potentially fun already. I doubt it'll go down as one of Rare's classics, but they could have gotten off to a worse start.

Brevity
05-15-2003, 08:37 AM
Sega GT Online (Xbox)
By GameSpy Staff | 5/14/2003

Release Date: April 2003
Genre: Action
Developer: WOW Entetainment
Publisher: Sega of America


•More Info About This Game

Sega GT Online will allow up to six gamers race against thousands of gamers from around the country. SEGA GT Online combines simulation racing and high-octane arcade action - players must qualify for licenses, compete in a series of races and earn money to buy newer, more powerful cars.
http://www.gamespy.com/e32003/screens/xbox/gtonline/06.jpg
http://www.gamespy.com/e32003/screens/xbox/gtonline/09.jpg
http://www.gamespy.com/e32003/screens/xbox/gtonline/08.jpg
http://www.gamespy.com/e32003/screens/xbox/gtonline/03.jpg
http://www.gamespy.com/e32003/screens/xbox/gtonline/10.jpg

Brevity
05-15-2003, 08:39 AM
Thief 3
Sneak Sneak, Stab Stab, Steal Steal
By Jamie "Thrrrpptt!" Madigan | 5/14/2003



All screenshots Developer: ION Storm Austin
Publisher: Eidos Interactive
Release Date: April 2003
Genre: Action


• More Info About This Game

It's been a while since we last saw Garrett the master thief, who stole from the rich and gave to himself. Thief: The Dark Project was a first person sneaker before the term became cliche, and many a gamer found themselves enraptured with the stealthy gameplay set in a world that mixed two parts magic with a pound of steam works. Instead of challenging you with killing everything in sight, the game required you to stay out of site entirely as you skulked your way through medieval mansions and castles.

The sequel, Thief 2: The Metal Age, gave us more of the same ...but with robots for some reason.

Ion Storm Austin and Eidos have decided that we haven't seen enough of Garrett (probalby 'cause he's so sneaky), and have decided to bring him back for another series of sly adventures. Thief (the project's working title --it's not officially called "Thief 3", nor does it seem it will be) keeps the same base (damn, another pun) gameplay, but adds a few tricks and an all-new engine. The new game is a direct sequel to its two predecessors, picking up on the storyline sometime after Thief 2.

The two biggest changes to the Thief franchise are in the engine and some new tricks up Garrett's shadowy sleeve.

Shiny Treasures

One can hardly write about the Thief games without mentioning how many players loved the gameplay, but bemoaned the game's slightly (okay, maybe a little more than slightly) outdated graphics and engine. Ion Storm has taken this issue seriously, and Thief is being powered by the very same engine that's behind the impressive-looking Deus Ex 2.

Seeing the engine at work during my E3 demonstration, I have to say that there's a lot of potential here. The graphics definitely look slick, even if the levels still seem a little blocky. One of the most impressive things is the volumetric lighting (a term that's quickly becoming jargon this year), which ads inky shadows and flickering firelight just where our master thief wants it.

One particularly impressive demonstration of the lighting tech occurred when a guard carrying a torch walked down a darkened hallway. The lights behaved just like real ones would, casting real-time shadows and filling spaces with colored light. When Garrett pulled out his bow and plugged the guard in the forehead, the engine's rag doll physics knocked the unfortunate patrolman's head back and sent the torch flying. The resulting shadows and lighting effects from the tumbling torch were rather impressive.


The character models in the game look pretty good, with real-time lip-synching for those conversations you always find yourself eavesdropping on (a staple of the Thief games). I only hope they polish up the animation, as the guards and servants looked pretty stiff in this showing. Textures, on the other hand, looked impressive and gritty, just like you'd expect in this magic/steam punk world. On balance, the engine looks good and the developers still have a few months to clean it up even more.

Finally, a note about the AI. While things were toned down a bit for E3, the guys at Eidos described some of the advances in AI that are in store. Guards now act more intelligently and intuitively when searching for intruders (that's you). If they walk into a room and can see everything except behind a table, they'll actually go check behind the table before declaring the room clear. I was told that this Thief game was going to emphasize a faster pace with more improvisation than previous games You'll have to think on your feet and adapt in order to succeed, instead of just memorizing patrol routes and paths.

Spider-Thief

Garrett apparently hasn't been idle since the close of the Metal Age. He's learned a few new tricks, only a few of which were on display at E3 this year. Gone is Garrett's short-sword, replaced now by a dagger that he can either use as a melee weapon or employ in a deadly backstabbing attack against unwary foes. I saw more than one guard (and an unlucky serpent or two) meet their end with one quick poke to the base of their neck from behind.


Lock-picking is also substantially changed. Whenever our favorite burglar comes across a locked door, he can employ his toolkit of lockpicks to bypass it. In the Xbox version I played, this turned into a kind of mini-game where you rotated the analog stick until you felt the force-feedback vibrations intensify. Once you did this, a simple click of the right-hand trigger button locked the tumbler in place so you could move on to the next. More complex locks have more tumblers and thus take more time to pick. Fortunately, the player is able to turn Garrett's head to either side while engaged in lockpicking, so that you can see if a guard's patrol route is bringing by the scene of your crime.

The most exciting new ability, however, is Garrett's new wall-climbing trick. He's able to scale almost any surface in the levels I saw, which mostly consisted of stone walls. Given a moment to get ready, our master thief was able to shoot straight up a vertical surface to safety or some far-flung area where secret treasure awaited. Combined with a quick flash-bomb to blind encircling guards, this made for an excellent means of escape, as Guards would either not notice Garret or find themselves unable to purees if they did.

Careful With That GamePlay, It's a Classic

Many of the familiar trappings from the other Thief games are present, such as mission structure, collecting loot (ideally100% of it per level), expert modes with strict victory conditions, and more. The light gem is also back, continuing to provide a handy measure of Garrett's visibility in the shadows he so relies on for safety.

Thief fans should rejoice for the graphical updates and new missions, while new players should get a good dose of what the rest of us have been enjoying all this time.

Brevity
05-15-2003, 08:40 AM
Kameo: Elements of Power
The GameCube transplant finds new life on Xbox.
By christian "ferricide" nutt | 5/15/2003



All screenshots Developer: Rare
Publisher: Microsoft
Release Date: 2003
Genre: Adventure


• More Info About This Game

Rare's Kameo: Elements of Power began its life as a GameCube game two years ago, at the first E3 that console showed at. Last year's E3 took place during the period where Rare and Nintendo were in the process of severing ties, so Kameo was nowhere to be seen for (then) mysterious reasons. Now it's back, and we've got a much better picture of everything the game's about.

The game focuses on the adventures of a young and winsome fairy named Kameo who has the power to capture and transform into different monsters. What overall task she's exactly tasked with I'm not sure, but the multiple different areas in the demo gave me a good idea of just what to expect from her adventure. If Star Fox Adventures could be compared visually to a boy's toy, which makes Kameo a girl's. Where Star Fox featured angular spaceships, Kameo features filigreed, pastel castles. It's a vibrant and colorful world, and features great uses of light and shadow for a touch of vibrant realism.


Like Star Fox, which is in turn like Zelda, Kameo's actions are contextualized atop the screen, each one mapped to a button and each available action related to the different features of the locale you're visiting. Kameo herself can flit and fly about the levels and interact with some of the objects, but she cannot attack enemies herself -- for that she relies on her companion, Meepo, who acts as a projectile, or one of the different captured monsters she can transform into.

When the game was originally announced people tried to compare it to Pokémon to understand it -- but you take a much more active role in the lives of the monsters you capture. Since this is a Rare game, they can't resist making you collect crap for long. Baby monsters have to be evolved into more formidable forms, so as soon as you capture a creature you'll need to grab hold of his favorite food. Both of the food-capturing sessions available for play at the show floor struck me as more than a little contrived, but Rare fans are used to that sort of thing now.


Another available section of the demo was a dungeon full of enemies. You're locked into a chamber, PSO-style, and must defeat all of the enemies to continue. In this exercise, Kameo had several different monster forms at her disposal. There's an elephant-like creature who can roll into a boulder-ish ball and attack similarly to Sonic the Hedgehog, albeit heavier. A plant form that had high punching power used jabs to beat down trolls.

There was also a really cool creature -- called Flint, he's a pile of rocks that rolls around the levels. You can shoot off your rocks to attack the enemies, and it's a lot of fun. You can flip back to Kameo at any time you want, which is nice -- the creatures walk very slowly, but she can fly speedily through the levels. I did note that you can't capture just any enemy with Meepo, but only ones the game suggests you ought to get a hold of. A boss battle that featured excessive fiddling with the environment -- grabbing and shaking plants, throwing bulbs, grabbing fruit, and plugging holes -- was also on the show floor.

Kameo: Elements of Power started its life several years ago, and there's little doubt that it was pushed aside while Rare worked on other projects. It's looking a little dated, and the camera is more than a little touchy, but they've also already got one of the environments running at 60 frames per second and hope to get the rest up to that standard by the game's release in spring 2004. For now, I'm guardedly hopeful that it'll improve, but as far as the demo areas are sort of stop-start affairs. If the game can be sped up and the action becomes more exciting, Xbox may have a colorful adventure that'll appeal to a whole new audience.

Brevity
05-15-2003, 08:45 AM
More here.
http://www.gamespy.com/e32003/xbox/