New Wolfenstein coming this summer
Activision has confirmed that it will be publishing Raven's new Wolfenstein game this summer. No Hitler though.
The confirmation came as part of a conference call given by Activision's Mike Griffith, in which delays for a new James Bond: Racing game created by PGR developer Bizarre Creations were also announced.
The new Wolfenstein game was the big announcement though, with Activision claiming that it expects the game to be available as early as this summer.
"This summer we expect to release an all new Wolfenstein built on id Software's well-established videogame franchise." The game is in development for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360," said Mike.
The new Wolfenstein isn't being built by series creator id Software though, but by the closely-partnered Raven Software. Raven's also working on a new sci-fi title called singularity that's all about time-travel. Like Wolfenstein, Singularity will be built on id Software's new engine and will launch on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 all at the same time.
There's still very little detail on what players might expect to see in either Singularity or Wolfenstein though, except for the fact that neither game will feature Hitler. Disappointed? Let us know in the forums.
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Discuss in the forums ReplyAnd 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)?
It better have Hitler :/
And, it'd not be the first JB 'racer': http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/007_Racing
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 ;)
A diehard cynic such as yours truly might consider this the modern euphemism for "console port".
And we know what happens to console ports.
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.
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..
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.
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.
Precisely.
Unfortunately nobody who actually works on computer games seems to understand this.
There's probably plenty that do, but I imagine trying to convince your publisher its money is worth that fact is nigh impossible.
Your code may work, but you won;t have your optimizations and hacks in place. Case in point, GTA IV.
Because the previous Wolfenstien games were oh so deep.
Yup thats it, but it wont happen. I can only wish.
Enemy Territory 2 please.
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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.)
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?
Total Annihilation -> Supreme Commander
Flight sims -> No flight sims, anymore
Anything that requires more than eight nanoseconds' consideration -> Anything that doesn't
Can't wait to sit on my comfy sofa, 5 ft from a nice 40" 1080p tv playing games to my hearts content (before anyone starts, I know that most games aren't native 1080p and tend to be scaled up).
If only the new Total War game was coming to the PS3 I'd be even happier!
The more games that a cross platform the better (for me, and it is only me I care about after all... :P)
an excellent read to an ongoing problem. ive been thinking on how its all going to end being as the generation i gre in (early 1980's) got the crop of gaming, but now are we in a cycle? we have a new generation who havent experienced gaming the way we did, does this mean we can recycle old ideas with a lick of modern gpu paint and release them as new and innovative titles? it certainly seems to be happening like that.
another thing that im interested in seeing is the rise of the indie game scene, does this mean the indie market will grow and flourish in the demand for less casual games?
who knows, its not about fun anymore, its about meeting targets and i do know my love for it is being strained by the endless money making franchise its become. :(
I think it's fair to say that the media attention that surrounds major pop acts is a chicken & egg scenario. The media focus on major pop acts because they're popular, as much as the pop acts become popular because the media focus on them.
And to say that Mozart, Beethoven or Bach would be more popular if their songs fit into a radio-friendly 3-minute timeslot just strengthens the very point that I make.
Planescape Torment is a Beethoven epic, but how do you make something like that the gaming equivalent of 'radio friendly' without taking from it exactly what makes it the classic epic that it is?
The whole point is that, in my view, the pursuit of mass popularity and huge sales figures has resulted in a watering-down of games, making everything a 'radio friendly' 3-minute product, with quality-control to match, and leaving us with only bitesize morsels of mass-market-friendly gaming excellence, instead of the masterpieces we used to get.
That's undeniably a factor, but I think it's a symptom of the whole situation. The diehard fans of Fallout would have much preferred to see Fallout 3 made by Interplay, but economics and mass-market dealings meant that Interplay went bust and had to sell the licence on to Bethesda.
Deus Ex Invisible War was made by the same company, but not by all the same people, and most notably, Warren Spector wasn't heading its development. That's something Joe made a point of informing me on a while ago. ;)
Bioshock's production was headed by Ken Levine, and interviews with him at the time made it seem like he was out to make another game every bit as good as the System Shock games, yet the end result was a samey shooter with only an imitation of the depth & complexity of the System Shock games, and a rehashed plot ripped straight from System Shock 2, twists and all. Why? My guess is money. (And that's not a slur on his integrity - Who doesn't want to make money? And what developers truly get to express themselves freely without a publisher breathing down their neck? Very few.)
All I can say is I hope so - From what I've seen in other entertainment markets like music and movies, the deeper side of things becomes a niche within the market as a whole, and maybe that will happen with gaming too.
In the 'good old days' of quality PC gaming the deep, complex classics like Deus Ex, System Shock and Planescape Torment were 'big' in the market, while the market itself was still a niche in real-world terms.
Now gaming has become a mainstream thing, for everyone from the most typical chav to the bedroom-bound geek, but maybe the market for those kind of classics can be a niche within the greater gaming market when it expands.
There's nothing to suggest that this is even beyond the capabilities of indie developers, since modern indie dev companies are often the same size as typical dev companies 'back in the day'.
Just as a kind of disclaimer here, before people get the wrong idea about me..
I don't hate consoles, console games nor console gamers - I have a bunch of consoles right here and I regularly play them alongside my favourite PC games, whether on the original or through emulation.
I love Japanese RPGs like the Final Fantasy series (almost) as much as I love western classics like Baldur's Gate and Planescape Torment.
I played and enjoyed Halo numerous times from start to finish, I just don't rank it as highly as console gamers tend to.
I played and (somewhat) enjoyed Gears of War, even if it felt like a cynical product to fit a perceived market of braindead violence-addicts - (And believe me, it kills me to say that about a game headed by CliffyB - That man was one of my heroes as a child, from the days of Jazz Jackrabbit and Unreal)
I played Bioshock from start to finish (in 2 days, I might add) and thought it was piss-poor. Well-presented, pretty, fun - but ultimately nothing more than a shallow imitation of its predecessor with some shiny water effects and a change in scenery.
I AM an elitist, I could never deny that - but only in the same sense that I'm an elitist about music, art or any other creative 'product'.
I don't truly begrudge anyone their taste in games, music or art, even if they think that Gears of War is the best game ever made and that Britney Spears is better than Beethoven - What I do begrudge is the loss of creative freedom and the pursuit of excellence in artforms like gaming because of the influence of money and the drive for the mass-market.
I'm not going to stop anyone from buying, playing & enjoying the games made for mass market, not even myself, but I will decry the loss of gaming excellence until someone listens.
And yes, I know that could be a long, long time - But I care about my games.
viva la reveloution