GC 2007 - Day 2: Call of Duty 4, something new and cool
SierraOur chat with Sierra was a bit longer than with Activision, and we were treated to three little delights - only two of which are coming to the PC though. So why mention the third? Well, you'll soon see. First up, though: PrototypeCatch this for a sales pitch: "You're the meanest, nastiest anti-hero out there!" Makes you wonder what one has to to do to earn such an accolade but in Prototype, it's pretty simple. You're the result of a genetic experiment using a mutant virus thingy. The virus has turned you into a shapeshifting, free-running, hoodie-wearing dude with no long term memory and a healthy appetite for kicking the sh... umm, answers out of somebody!
You've got a sandbox-style, seamless recreation of Manhattan to explore. You'll run into competing factions, none of which are on your side. You have various kung fu moves and vehicles at your disposal, and cool mutant abilities to kick the snot out of your opponents. Finally, your acrobatic skills make Lara Croft look positively hippo-like in comparison.
It looks spectacular and in the Xbox 360 version we were shown, the level of detail and frame rate were top notch. While certain elements still need more work perhaps, such as the main character close up, effects such as smoke and explosions are very effective. The destruction you sow will persist in the world, so you'll be able to spot the consequences of your actions many blocks away. Prototype looks like it will be a blast to play, and all three platforms will have an online co-op mode. You'll be able to catch a piece of the action yourself in Q3 2008.
Empire Earth 3In just a few weeks time, fans of the Empire Earth series will be able to rejoice (and spend money) as the second sequel will make its way onto retailers shelves. I know what you're thinking: more of the same - and you'd be right. Except there's more and what stuff there is that's just like the older version, is much better. So everyone can rejoice! After a lengthy and very in-depth one-on-one screening of the demo, it struck me that EE3 is somewhat like the Total War style of games. You have a large global map (the entire Earth, in this case), split into sections that you can attack and defend in fixed turns; these regions can be contested automatically or via a RTS-style "manual" mode.
But where the likes of Medieval II: Total War are deeply complex beasts right for the very beginning, EE3 has a very nice learning curve to it. Unit differences and looks are heavily exaggerated so it's not hard to figure who does what, and processes such as unit upgrading have friendly interfaces to them. That's not to say there's no depth here - quite the opposite, in fact - but it will only emerge once you start to look for it. With three totally disparate factions to play across 35 world regions, and a well-balanced multiplayer mode, Empire Earth 3 has ticked all of the right boxes. Better still, you won't need a PC from NASA to run: min specs are right down in the sub-2GHz CPU and early 128MB DX9 GPU regions. All the pretty visuals are there, and much improved from EE2, so top-end PC owners will be treated to some nice eye candy.
The Bourne ConspiracyOkay, let's get this out of the way now: this game is currently not being developed for the PC, and the Q2 2008 schedule only has 360 and PS3 stamped on it. So why mention it here? Well, simply because this looks like such a nice game that Sierra really should be looking at giving PC owners a nibble of the cake too! Based somewhere between the movies and the books, The Bourne Conspiracy takes a look at the lead protagonist's murky history and throws you into a series of plot-filled, action stages. Bourne is no John Rambo and you won't be packing dozens of Bond gadgets either - instead it's down to you and whatever improvised weapons happen to be lying around. The dreaded "quick action button" sequence makes a very strong appearance in the game but such set pieces are optional: don't want to carry out the fancy moves? No problem, just carry on smacking him with your fists! The camera follows cinematic paths and although the graphics are only reasonable, the animations are smooth and realistic. The Bourne Conspiracy looks very enjoyable, so one can only hope that it will make its way towards the PC.
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