E3 2002: First Looks

Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon

Of course there is a new game in production that we are all extremely looking forward to. Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon is Revolution’s most ambitious project yet and promises to introduce some clever innovations in the control system and in the gameplay. While Charles didn’t get specific on the interface he did say they were trying to move away from the point-and-click interface that has been the standard for the past ten years. (Interesting to note is that Charles sees the Grim Fandango-style interface still as essentially point-and-click.) We will have to wait and see what Revolution came up with.

Broken Sword 3 will be set in a real-time 3D rendered world, which not only requires a new type of control system, but also gives the possibility of adding various exploration-based puzzles and cinematic action sequences. Broken Sword 3 will not be an action game, but you can expect some tense Shenmue-like sequences in which the player is asked to make decisions at critical points. Another type of action might be a dog chasing you, forcing you to climb a wall and find another way inside a building. As in the previous Broken Sword games, there is a possibility of dying, but you will have had plenty of warning to avoid the danger. The action-moves such as jumping or climbing a wall will be neatly incorporated into the adventure game interface through a context-sensitive icon.

Although only a handful of screenshots have been made public, it is already obvious that Broken Sword has made the transition to 3D with flying colors. The artists have been able to fully preserve the atmosphere that makes Broken Sword unique. The beautiful light and shading techniques strongly contribute to its typical style.

Half a year ago we were afraid that Revolution had abandoned graphic adventures in favor of action/adventure games such as In Cold Blood. Now we have seen though that Revolution has been doing much more good for the genre than we might have thought. Broken Sword 3 is the adventure game to watch. Release is set for 2003.

More action/adventures from LucasArts

LucasArts presented an E3 lineup this year that was much more balanced towards original titles. Even though the Star Wars games we saw were very impressive (particularly Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars Galaxies), the most interesting titles for us adventure gamers will be Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb and RTX Red Rock.

Hal Barwood (designer of Fate Of Atlantis and The Infernal Machine) is not involved in the Indy game this time. Instead, he is working on RTX Red Rock, a sci-fi action/adventure set on Mars. You are E.Z. Wheeler, a Radical Tactics Expert. Simply said, the RTX are the elite soldiers of the future. Although E.Z. operates alone, he has a female digital sidekick called IRIS who will supply important details (or just make jealous remarks when E.Z. encounters another woman). Apart from IRIS, you will also have access to E.Z.’s synthetic eye and a robotic hand that can be used as a tool or a weapon. Your mission in RTX Red Rock is to free the first Mars colony from an alien invasion. Judging from the demo we saw, the gameplay will be pretty varied. Some obstacles require you to solve a puzzle, while other obstacles are more exploration-based. You will get to fight aliens, drive rovers, use a jetpack and take control of different robots. You can actually interface with the robots and walk them around, getting to places that would normally be out of reach for E.Z. RTX Red Rock will be out on PS2 and Gamecube early next year.

The second action/adventure we saw was Indiana Jones and The Emperor’s Tomb. LucasArts chose The Collective to develop this game with. Although the screenshots of The Emperor’s Tomb might look a lot like Infernal Machine, there are many differences in the gameplay. Probably the feature we liked most was the hand-to-hand combat. Fighting the enemies with your fist is very satisfying and a lot of fun. Many objects around you can in fact be used in hand-to-hand combat, such as table legs and shovels. There is a lot of variation in the action: one moment you are pushing enemies off a ledge, another moment you are using a rattling gun to take down nazi airplanes. There will be a lot of exploration-based puzzles in The Emperor’s Tomb, probably as much or even more so than in RTX Red Rock. Often a certain obstacle is presented through a brief cinematic sequence. These obstacles can then be solved by manipulating an object or using your whip. The Emperor’s Tomb was the most exciting game for me personally (besides Full Throttle II anyway, which officially wasn’t part of the lineup). It looks like it’s got all the ingredients for a great game: interesting locations, lots of fun scenes, simple controls and an important storyline. If you’re not shy of a bit of action gameplay, this is a title you should watch. Look for The Emperor’s Tomb in stores fall 2002.

Myst Online

On the second day of E3, Ubi Soft revealed Myst Online. The announcement came so unexpectedly that we were unable to arrange a meeting, so we will have to do with what little information Ubi Soft has released so far. Myst Online (working title) is the secret project of developer Cyan Worlds that was previously known only as ‘project mudpie’. As the working title suggests, the game is a persistent online world. Ubi Soft claims it is not a traditional massively-multiplayer game and refers to Myst Online as an adventure instead of an RPG. Myst Online will feature “stunning real-time 3D graphics, rich storylines, continually updated content, real voice communication and traditional text chat.” What the gameplay will be like is still a complete mystery. Apparently there will be no hunting and no skill system. There will be a strong social aspect and every month new ages will be released which can be explored. Other than that, no one really knows what the game is about. Hopefully we will get to know more about that soon. Myst Online will be launched through ubi.com in 2003. Screenshots are available at www.mystonline.com In related news, Myst III: Exile will be released for Playstation 2 and X-Box winter 2002.

And with that, we are almost ready to wrap up our coverage of E3 2002. Our last E3 article will be a look at Dreamcatcher’s lineup of adventure games.