msxbox-world Impressions of GoW, PGR3, NNN, Kameo

[Grumpy Old Fart]

From msxboxworld...LINK

Behind Closed Doors Games Impressions

At the Tokyo games show we were able to have a closer look with the designers at some of the games on offer on the Xbox 360. Of the games that we had seen the 4 titles (Gears of War, Kameo PGR 3 and Ninety Nine Nights) were looking great. After each session the level of excitement reached all time highs as the anticipation to play these games proper, exceeded boiling point from within!


NINETY NINE NIGHTS


Ninety Nine Nights is collaboration between Korean based Sangyoun Lee and Japanese Tetsuya Mizuguchi. The game is running on an updated Kingdom Under Fire game engine and the version showing was around 80% complete and still looking very impressive indeed. 99 nights is a very Japanese looking game especially with the design of the 6 main characters and it can be said that the inspiration behind these are very much from the Japanese market which has a very distinct style when it comes to heroes and heroines. 99 Nights actually does not have a US or European release date but could well be available close to Launch in the Japanese territory. I think from the reactions of people who played the game and also from the developers that a USA/Euro release is very much needed and also a distinct possibility.



What is great about the game is the level of depth that is created when the masses of on screen enemies surround your character as you hack and slash away at foes (each character has around 30 moves and these can change depending on what weapons are selected) although we are told that the game will feature a strong strategic element as seen in Phantagram’s other game Kingdom Under Fire. We were also told that there will be a very strong storyline attached to each of the characters (who follow different paths) where a conflict between light and dark has erupted causing mass war. Paths of the characters will cross at various points in the game and were promised a lot of deep, engrossing storytelling to accompany the hardcore action. Each character can use special element (wind, fire, earth, water etc) based attack powers which are gained from collecting orbs from the fallen once a meter is filled then the player can unleash devastating attacks on foes. When a level is completed players will be ranked based on kills and combo’s etc meaning there is plenty of replay value and secrets to unlock such as extra weapons.

The in game cut scenes using the actual game engine as opposed to pre rendered images look highly detailed and truly worthy of the next generation tag but the real pull is how beautiful the game looks at this early stage of development during actual game play. Ninety Nine nights was highly impressive looking at it in close quarters on a bigger screen and should be a game that appeals to Japanese and Western gamers alike. Lets hope that Microsoft snap this title up immediately for Europe and USA.




GEARS OF WAR

If there was one game at the TGS that perhaps stood out more than the others even though it wasn’t playable was Epic’s Gears Of War. This game truly looks like a next generation title in terms of the visuals created. Well we have all seen the screenshots and perhaps some footage from E3 but during an Interview with Cliff Bleszinski we were shown some more regarding the actual game play.

I think to surmise the game play in Gears Of War would be a 3rd person action game featuring squad elements with a dash of survival horror thrown in for good measure. Although Cliff B would describe the viewpoint as 2nd person as a mixture of 3rd and 1st person without being either or. We were told that the anti hero Marcus Phoenix would be a cool character that would have personality but not so much that it would get on your nerves. The actual game play looks like being a very deep experience especially when encountering the enemy AI. We were informed that the Locust AI would react to situations as they happen rather than being in a forced routine. The enemy AI will take cover, flank, blind fire to protect their own lives and also obey an in depth hierarchy system.

As far as the actual environments are concerned there will be destructible and interactive scenery to the point of where there are various forms of cover available. Certain surfaces will actually become destroyed when being shot so choosing your position will be key to success. Cover is a huge part of the tactics in the game both for your own guys and that of the enemy. There will be different kinds of cover ranging from circular, waist height, high cover and with a touch of a button your character will use this cover effectively. What is interesting is the fact that the Locust AI will actually move to new cover should its cover be destroyed. Exploration is also a big factor in the game and whilst it would be easy to follow the most obvious route in the game, players will be rewarded if they look off the beaten track.

There will be many weapons in the game as well and although we have seen the shotgun and assault rifle we are promised a whole heap of new toys to unleash upon the alien hoards such as rocket launcher, hi tech sniper rifle, pistol and even a flame thrower is on the cards. What is interesting is the fact that there will be context sensitive commands and during the more close quarters moments (when grappling with an enemy) this will be handled using the wiggling of the control stick or tapping buttons.

We were informed that the squad commands would be very easy and nothing too taxing so that all gamers could get to grips with the system. We were assured that the team AI would be useful rather than simply being there for players to baby-sit through the game.

Looking at the game in motion is a beauty to behold and things are looking very smooth even at this stage of the development process. There still is plenty of time left on this one to add even more spit and polish to the game such as the inclusion of more dynamic effects; so things will get better still (if that’s possible!) Were not sure when this game will be released (some point next year) but either way this is going to be a killer title and one that every 360 owner should not be without. One of the main highlights of the show for me!




PROJECT GOTHAM RACING 3

After viewing a 60% complete build of this game at the Leipzig Game Convention in Germany it is clear that the team at Bizarre Creations have been working very hard indeed as there is a massive improvement all round with this 90% build we were able to look at. The sense of speed has been retained but also the level of detail has become a lot more noticeable, especially when using the interior viewpoint. The city featured in the presentation was looking very crisp and despite some detail being absent on further buildings as the car raced along the circuit the level of detail in the foreground was of a much higher resolution than before and looked simply stunning. We were told that the game is going through some final optimisation stages where many of these issues will be resolved. We were also told that the game will be ready for launch so hopefully this news will silence the naysayer websites who didn’t believe it was possible based on the old build of the game.

The car detail is also looking much improved over the previous build and with some fancy heat haze effects coming from the exhaust as well as some extremely dynamic surface reflections I am confident that gamers across the globe are going to be wowed by the game and will no doubt be spending lots of time using the game’s camera mode (this allows you to take snapshots from any angle). The cities which have been perfectly recreated are going to be Tokyo, Las Vegas, New York, London and the famous Nurburgring will also be included. It was great during our visit to actually see the buildings in real life that will be featured in the game.


We were also shown more detail regarding the game modes and which consist of Gotham Career which is a solo mode against AI opponents or against other users via Xbox Live. The main difference here is that players can choose any car to race on 3 championships. As far as the Live is concerned there will be a comprehensive matchmaking system which means players will always be challenged by racers of comparable skill rather than being dominated by well versed veterans of the game. There are also challenge modes available such as cone challenges, speed challenges, over take challenges, drift challenges. Some Xbox Live modes were also shown and consisted of cat and mouse game types as well as Street Race, Eliminator, Team Street Race, Team Eliminator and Capture the Track.

A new feature of the game is the Playtime mode which allows players the chance to create custom games for use over system link, split screen, single player or Live. The route creation feature is very easy to use as players simply put points on an overhead map to determine the route. Players simply pick a start point based on areas of the map that are large enough then add a wide number of points in between. The sheer number of tack combinations is in the 1000’s.

The frame rate was a major issue with the game after seeing the version demoed in Leipzig but we were assured that Bizarre are aiming for a solid frame rate of around 60fps if possible. The team are still working on optimization and the screen refresh rate during this demo was a solid 30 frames per second- a huge improvement over the previous build.

I was left with a feeling of well being after viewing the demo of this game- it really has come a long way from the not so good demo in Germany. I am confident from what I have seen that players will simply be blown away by the level of detail featured. PGR3 will be a game that is accessible to players of all skills and certainly should be a game that all players should invest in come the launch of the Xbox 360. You have every right to be as excited as I am!



KAMEO: ELEMENTS OF POWER

Kameo was another title that was looking and playing great from the show floor; however a closer look at the game with George Andreas the senior designer at Rare revealed so much more depth to the game that it was staggering. Well ok for a fantasy game Kameo looks very pretty indeed and as you can see from screenshots and videos there are a lot of small details to look at which adds to an already immersive experience. The texture quality of a very high standard and is unlike anything seen before on Xbox. There is no doubt in my mind that Rare has created a visceral master piece with Kameo and is a distinct work of art in its own right. George was keen to point out the new depth of field created within the game and having witnessed it in action can honestly say wow! The dragons in the opening game play sections have been greatly improved and the sheer number of them flying around whilst you are fighting trolls is un-believable to say the least! New shadow effects have been added making Kameo look absolutely amazing and nearing the quality of Pixar movies.

Well what about the actual game I hear you ask? Well I did play the game in Tokyo and was very impressed by the ease of control and how non frustrating it was to navigate the terrain to complete the level. Our closer look at the game with George opened my eyes to a wealth of play options and styles and just highlighted how diverse the game can be.

There are 10 warriors that Kameo can control during her adventure and they are as follows:

Chiller is an ice creature and is rather handy with his fists for fighting and scaling walls.
Pummel weed is an earth based creature and is inspired by George’s love of boxing which means this character is pretty handy with the old fists!
Major Ruin is a ball like character complete with spikes and can roll into enemies or roll up ramps and the like which makes him handy for getting to hard to reach areas.
Ash is an awesome fire breathing dragon and pretty handy at burning foes with that hot fire breath.
Deep Blue is a water based character and is pretty handy underwater and on the ground. He can fire jets of water at enemies and even drag them under water.
Thermite is a small, weak ant looking character with an egg on its back. However don’t be fooled by the looks because Thermite is extremely powerful and can destroy multiple foes at once with his egg bombs! Thermite can also cross the terrain pretty fast by rolling!
Snare is another earth based character similar to Pummel Weed but this time has a large mouth for picking things up and throwing at enemies.
Flex is a strange looking blob on multiple long legs and inspired by elasticity. This means that flex can strike foes with multiple limbs or grab them and throw them around!
Rubble is another character based on the earth element. He consists of rock balls which can be thrown at enemies. The unique thing is the rock balls will auto return to him like a boomerang.
40 Below is an unusual ice character that can freeze enemies with his ice breath or simply spin around and attack multiple foes that surround him.




I think a stand out point of the game play is the switching of characters at any time during play; and as you already know each character has their own set of skills to bring into the fight. What I found most intriguing was the combo/scoring system which allows gamers the chance to really show off their gaming prowess but also adds a lot of replay value to the basic game. The scoring allows players the chance to improve and perhaps unlock more content within the game. So for example you could douse fire creatures with Deep Blue and then switch to Major Ruin to bowl the stunned creatures over. More combos equals more points! This was also highlighted during one of the boss battles which required the player to switch characters to defeat the boss. Players who perform well and keep the combos flowing will also be able to enter warrior focus mode (bullet time) for extra devastation. All of the characters are based on an element such as earth, fire, ice, water etc and can be used to navigate the terrain and attack the pesky trolls that you encounter throughout the game. Torturing the trolls by using the environment is a big factor with the game play and at this early stage with the character Chiller players can throw the trolls into the distance to their doom or simply impale them on the many spikes that litter the Thorn Castle grounds.

We were told that Kameo features professional voice acting which is actually a first for a rare title and considering the large amounts of speech in the game is a welcome addition (all npc’s are voiced). We were introduced to the Mystic a character that is there to aid Kameo on her adventures. We were also introduced to Autho who is a character that offers help to Kameo however instead of being something that is linear Autho will actually offer tips to Kameo dependant on the player’s level of skill. So if you are stuck you’ll hear him a lot if not then maybe not at all! During the demo we were also introduced to a new character called shadow troll who apparently will chase Kameo through the entire game- think Nemesis from Resident Evil 3 to get the picture!

One of the most distinct features of the game are the huge epic battles where up to 5000 characters duke it out on screen at any given time. Kameo is able to fight alongside her elf allies here or alternatively charge through the masses of trolls to reach her next objective (indicated with a new map system which shows your next objective). This means that players are given a choice as to what they can do which is rather a neat feature as the battle could have simply had a cut scene to convey the scale. Apparently players can use the horse to charge through the trolls and actually kill them all if they desire- how long this would take I do not know! Using the character Thermite with upgraded egg bombs was simply amazing to look at during one of the epic battles. What we saw were plenty of trolls being blow up flying through the air with such fluidity it was amazing to witness.

Each area in the game has its own inhabitants, AI and theme. So when looking at enemy characters you can see that they too are element based so for example using a fire based character verses a water based character will yield the best results. Rare have worked very hard in making each of the characters different to each other so that the player experience is as broad as possible and with the option to upgrade the moves of each character means there is a fair bit of scope.


Rare have done a great job with the game that started out on Gamecube a number of years ago. I think most gamers will be very much impressed with the game once they get to play it in the comfort of their own homes. Kameo is great looking awesome playing launch title and truly showcases the next generation capabilities of the Xbox 360

[NukeAssault]

Sounds like everythign is going to look great. Especially Kameo. I wish someone coud give alittle more infor on Huxley which seems to have fallen of the face of the 360.

[Diamond]

Yeah I can't wait for Kameo. I'm gonna pre order that one. Does anyone know if it comes as a collectors edition?

[co_ray]

from what i first heard about Kameo was it wasnt good, but it looks like everything has changed since then....

[Aquanox]

Kameo haven't received anything else than positive impressions from the ones who have seen and played it. This game is getting hotter in my list every time I read about it and see their screens.

With Kameo and Perfect Dark Zero it seems that RARE has came back to claim their throne!

[Glock 19]

I was watching game footage from Tokyo Game show on G4TV and they had in game footage of ninety-nine nights and it looked awesome 100's of enemies on screen at same time, this game for me is going to be a must buy.

[cablekiller]

I think all the games might be "must buys".