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News New Wolfenstein coming this summer

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by CardJoe, 12 Feb 2009.

  1. CardJoe

    CardJoe Freelance Journalist

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  2. Flibblebot

    Flibblebot Smile with me

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    Even if it doesn't contain Hitler, it does at least contain zombie Nazis, right?

    And what's this about a James Bond racing game? I'm vaguely intrigued, but also vaguely worried - is the JB monicker just a tenuous link to drive sales (pun intended)?
     
  3. liratheal

    liratheal Sharing is Caring

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    It better have Hitler :/

    And, it'd not be the first JB 'racer': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/007_Racing
     
  4. Evildead666

    Evildead666 What's a Dremel?

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    Sweeeet!

    I still play RTCW from time to time....never got to play it in great quality first time round, and now i can play with everything @max and 8xAA ;)
    Roll on summer ;)
     
  5. Phil Rhodes

    Phil Rhodes Hypernobber

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    "Multi-platform", eh?

    A diehard cynic such as yours truly might consider this the modern euphemism for "console port".

    And we know what happens to console ports.
     
  6. Bauul

    Bauul Sir Bongaminge

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    Ah young inexperienced child, lest ye forget that id's new id Tech 5 runs natively on PC, Mac, 360 and PS3 with no porting required! All they need to do is create the game once and it runs flawlessly on all the systems automatically.
     
  7. Mentai

    Mentai What's a Dremel?

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    Impressive tech! I would be worried about the dumbing down by being made for consoles simultaneously, however the Wolfenstein series was never exactly intelligent. Bring on the zombie nazis! Boo at no Hitler though, anyone know why they avoid using him these days?
     
  8. Zurechial

    Zurechial Elitist

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    C'mon Bauul, you know there's more to porting a game between platforms than just getting the main code to execute on different processors and OSes..

    I sometimes pretend to not be cynical about this kind of thing, but as soon as I see "multi-platform" I think of watered-down games whose quality suffers from trying to appeal to the non-PC markets..

    Elitist? Probably, but the number of cases in point out there is vast..
     
  9. Bauul

    Bauul Sir Bongaminge

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    Ok, yes true there is more to a game than simply getting the main code to execute on different platforms, but on the other hand as far as I understand it it's not just the main code of id Tech 5 that works on multiple platforms. If I recall some of the talks id have done on it correctly, they implied you could literally design the whole game on the PC editors, press "Export --> PS3", come back two days later and have a perfectly working PS3 version of the game. Whether it turns out to be reality or not is another question, but that's what they were aiming for.

    But generally you're right, few games that are originally designed to work on all platforms every seem to excel at any single one of them. There are exceptions (Mass Effect, for example), but I suppose that was a port, not a multi-platform from release, so hmm, I'm not sure.
     
  10. D3s3rt_F0x

    D3s3rt_F0x What's a Dremel?

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    Dont matter if it's not made by iD name me one good game they made recently, your only as good as your last game.

    As for Raven I do quite like there games, especially Star Trek: Elite Force

    But all this is milking a dead cow as far as I'm concerned god forbid iD ever make some new IP.
     
    Last edited: 12 Feb 2009
  11. Phil Rhodes

    Phil Rhodes Hypernobber

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    Precisely.

    Unfortunately nobody who actually works on computer games seems to understand this.
     
  12. RedDethX

    RedDethX What's a Dremel?

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    Pretty sure it's iD Tech 4 heavily modified, not iD Tech 5, just pointing that out ;p
     
  13. HourBeforeDawn

    HourBeforeDawn a.k.a KazeModz

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    They should completely copy the old school version for the new version and just ramp of the graphics, thats all ^__^ then I would love it. Kinda how Black Mesa is going to be a vamped version of HL1 ^__^
     
  14. Mentai

    Mentai What's a Dremel?

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    There's probably plenty that do, but I imagine trying to convince your publisher its money is worth that fact is nigh impossible.
     
  15. capnPedro

    capnPedro Hacker. Maker. Engineer.

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    Your code may work, but you won;t have your optimizations and hacks in place. Case in point, GTA IV.
     
  16. Veles

    Veles DUR HUR

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    Because the previous Wolfenstien games were oh so deep.
     
  17. Major

    Major Guest

    Yup thats it, but it wont happen. I can only wish.

    Enemy Territory 2 please.
     
  18. Phil Rhodes

    Phil Rhodes Hypernobber

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    I'm sure you're right, but unfortunately that's only a valid position if "your publisher" doesn't complain about poor PC sales.

    Again, people are not buying the product because the product is asterisks. This sort of thinking is just trying to squirm out of that fact.
     
  19. Zurechial

    Zurechial Elitist

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    You're quick to assume I'm talking about plot or concept depth.
    In most cases I'd be referring to storytelling/creative depth, but in this case I'm talking about gameplay, focus and the general quality/presentation of the game.

    [Long response alert]

    (Not aimed specifically as a response to Veles, but as an elaboration on my view of the topic at hand)

    Shooters built for multi-platform release often pander to the console market by including maps that don't involve as much vertical looking/aiming as you'd usually see in PC-centric games, because no matter how comfortable you are with a joypad or analogue stick, someone who's as comfortable with a mouse/keyboard on PC is still going to have a much easier time looking up, down and around in wide angles.
    Aside from that, consoles undeniably represent the mass-market of gaming, and mass markets are generally more concerned with instant gratification than a deep appreciation of the product on offer for its creative, artistic and developmental merits.

    For a simple analogy.. How many Britney Spears/Beyonce/[insert current major pop act] songs are downloaded/bought every day; compared to music by Mozart, Beethoven or Bach?
    And which is arguably 'better music'?
    Of course there's an element of subjectivity in it, and there's the argument against complexity that pop music doesn't set out to be musically advanced or complex, and it achieves its goal of being simplistic and approachable, otherwise it wouldn't be commercially viable, but even with snobbery cast aside, do you really think the current No.1 (whatever it is) would ever go down in history alongside Beethoven for musical greatness and achievement?

    In the same vein, could we honestly suggest that Halo or Gears of War (decidedly 'console' games) are as seminal, memorable and of the same quality as something like Half-Life or Planescape Torment?

    Neither critics nor history give much credence to mere popularity.

    It makes me think of the questions brought up by Molyneux's request regarding how Fable 2 was to be reviewed.
    To me a game isn't good just because it's liked by many people, nor is it good just because I like/enjoy that game, but is good because of its creative merits, its inventiveness, the execution of its main goals (whether they be presenting a strong plot, giving the player an outlet for escapist indulgence, engaging the player in mindless violence, or whatever else a game may set out to do).
    There are games that I don't actually like or enjoy playing, but which I think are excellent games because of their above facets.
    Of course that depends on my subjective appraisal of those qualities, but given that Mr. Molyneaux even made his famous request, I think it's fair to assume that there are certain 'constants' in what a critic looks for, or examines in game design, more than mere mass appeal.

    ++++

    Back to my original point of saying that there's more to porting a game than just compiling your code for the different platforms..
    Even if we disregard the perceived differences in content between console-centric and PC-centric games, there are other issues that consistently crop up in multi-platformed and ported games.

    How many multi-platform or ported games have we seen where the main menu of the game doesn't even support mouse control, or looks terrible when stretched to the higher resolutions that PCs are capable of?
    How many multi-platform or ported games have we seen where the keyboard & mouse response is flaky, imprecise or unsatisfying?
    How many multi-platform or ported games have we seen with painfully frequent loading screens and small transitional areas because the games needed to be designed with the lower memory of consoles in mind? (Deus Ex Invisible War & Thief Deadly Shadows really spring to mind here.. /sigh )
    How many multi-platform or ported games have we seen where the configurable settings for graphics and audio are limited to just changing the resolution & brightness or volume - while their PC-centric contemporaries give us an array of settings to fiddle with to get the game running as we want?
    If I'm running the game on my expensive PC and thus paying for the privilege of a PC's advantages, I want to be able to configure the game to suit, and not be stuck with the limitations of console design.

    ++++

    A few cases in point with regards to what I see as the decline in going from PC-centric to console-centric or multi-platform design:
    Deus Ex (PC) -> Deus Ex Invisible War (Multi-Platform)
    System Shock 2 (PC) -> Bioshock (Multi-Platform)
    Fallout 1/2 (PC) -> Fallout 3 (Multi-platform)

    DX IW, Bioshock and Fallout 3 were developed from the ground up as multi-platform releases, intended to build upon the successes of their predecessors, but with an appeal to a wider audience, incorporating the console markets instead of just the arguably more quality-demanding PC market, and in the eyes of the fans of the originals, the sequels suffered for it.

    To most fans of the originals, the sequels lost out in depth, complexity, immersiveness & originality, because the mass market tends to be put off by games that come across as being 'too' invested in intellectual qualities and which appear to lack in quick gratification, or which sacrifice accessibility and approachability for creative elements or complexity.

    ++++

    To sum up my longwindedness.. I personally think that like most good things, gaming lost a lot of its artistry and focus when it became too much of a big market, when too much money came into it.

    Let me put it this way... Are we likely to ever see another Planescape Torment in this day and age?
    Would the big-name publishers consider Baldur's Gate a viable release these days (technological advancements aside)?
    I think not.. And that's a damn sin.
    Even the 'best' developers, such as BioWare, are making their games with mass appeal in mind..

    A pessimistic outlook, but one that has been bolstered by my perceived decline in gaming quality as gaming increased in profitability in the past 2 decades.
    Dragon Age is the only game out there that looks to be even close to bucking that trend in the near future and hopefully proving me wrong.

    (Apologies for the length of this post, and also for the slight focus on RPGs in my points - I play every genre, but RPG is my genre of choice.)
     
    Last edited: 13 Feb 2009
  20. Da_Rude_Baboon

    Da_Rude_Baboon What the?

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    Perhaps if Mozart, Beethoven or Bach were given the same media attention, promotion and could fit into a 3 minute time slot they might be more popular.


    As a matter of interest how many of these games where made by the same teams as the originals in the series?
     
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