Double Touch

Anyone remember Outcast? I know I do. It was one of those complete anomalies that one found in the mid to late 90's, caused by the traditional genres in games being crossed as it grew out of infancy. Good examples of this cross-pollination are classics such as, Sacrifice, Little Big Adventure 2, Giants: Citizen Kabuto, MDK and indeed, Outcast. If you were to ask me to name some of the most influential games that I’ve had the privilege to play, while maybe not the most played or most enjoyed, it would be these titles that I would mention time and time again.

Beauty... sheer unadulterated beauty these games brought to the videogame culture. From the sweeping, voxel driven engine of Outcast (60% of why I bought this game was the water effects - stunning for the time, no?) to it's musical score by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra (there's another 20%), to the surreal and alien landscape and characters in Sacrifice and the plain and simple magical narrative of LBA2; they all, including the excellent writing on Giant's: Citizen Kabuto, seeped into my sub-conscious.

The latest example of this hit me this morning. Finally picking up Assassins Creed second hand for the PS3 (a game that I’ve still to make my mind up on), I climbed to the top of a huge tower in order to view the impressive landscape. A city near ancient Jerusalem spanned out into the distance, Arabian bazaars, homesteads, churches and mosques all encased within softly tipped mountain ranges. As I sat viewing the impressive vista an eagle austerely drifted past; it was then that it all came together.

A sudden rush of dormant memories, flashes from the late 90's - my room, the old computer case I was then using, the original box Outcast was shipped in... the standard height and width but not quite as deep as others. Then the game itself manifests itself in my mind, the first of Adelpha's continents springs up, a desert world filled with palm trees, pools of calm light blue water and Arabian inspired towns. The inhabitants, the Talan natives dressed in swathes of cloth, burnt hues bleached by the piercing sun. Clay pots adorn the exteriors of their houses, the bazaars teem with life with merchants selling all sorts of exotic trinkets, and temples rise out of the mass of suburban hubbub guarded by soldiers dressed akin to the Egyptian pharaohs.

Finally a memory of standing atop a huge archaic pillar inscribed with the words of the Talan Gods. The landscape is those very same gentle curving mountain tops, binding the landscape with the inhabitants, anchoring the virtual world to the real that has inspired it. A giant bird drifts past as the epic musical score reaches a climax.



Outcast was and still is a stunning piece of art. Assassins Creed seems to have replicated, in concept design at least, some of the magic that made it the window into such a genuine alien world. I implore you to buy Outcast and play it, as you will find it second to none in pure escapism that is so lovingly crafted and presented. As for Assassins Creed... well, only time will tell on how much effect it will have on me but at this early stage, I don't think that it's going to stack up.

Ok, so Crysis has come and gone as well as the industry quiet period and now the release schedule is heating up. GTA 4 is so close one can almost taste the East-European gangster fun! However one title released shortly could easily be the sleeper hit of the year. Far Cry 2, the successor to Crytek's original, is coming and it’s starting to look pretty damn good. With Games Radar's recent preview now in the bag, breaking more of the secrecy that has surrounded the game, the Ubisoft Montreal team's effort seems to be growing in stature.

Based in the Serengeti, in a fictional country where the Government has fled leaving two groups of armed mercenaries fighting for power, Far Cry 2 is offering a fresh location to explore (50km of open sandbox!) as well as a fresh take on the traditional FPS. Assigned to take down an arms dealer who is supplying weapons to both of the fractured militias, your task in Far Cry 2 is to cut off the supply of guns to the state, by killing people. Lots of people.

Of course to achieve this aim you have to work with the bad guys before you can bring down the system. Obviously this entails a lot of fighting, to which unlike most FPS's, you are extremely venerable. No Crysis Nano Suit here, you are just another soldier and one of the most interesting game mechanics is how you will have to heal yourself after every conflict. Surgery is essential in keeping you alive, so expect to be digging out shrapnel and bullets, patting out flames and stitching yourself back together. On another note, while you are only one man, at the start of the game you can pick from up to 13 characters who all start in different locations around the world. A nice touch.

Other new information includes:

1. Realistic day and night cycles which make a real difference to how a mission / fight etc will play out.

2. Dynamic fire that will spread and burn realistically. Expect wooden structures to burn down with a quick blast from a flamethrower.

3. Dynamic weather systems, that create completely unscripted effects such as individual leaves and swaying trees and shrubbery.

4. Malaria. All characters in the game are infected with malaria and this provides the impetus to almost all your actions. You need medicine to stay sane, to get medicine you need money and to get money you need to kill. The interesting element however in this process is that if you see too much blood, then you start to white out and gather infamy, too much of which and you'll be banned from local villages and camps, cutting off your ability to but medicine. Balance seems to be key.

5. Vehicles. Lots of them.


With all this taken into account Far Cry 2could be excellent. However despite a few pictures and one tech demo video showing the fire and weather effects, nothing so far has been released showing off game play. This is worrying as if one casts their mind back two years one will remember a title called Boiling Point, which just as with Far Cry 2looked excellent and sounded like it would be a quality title. In the end though, when released, the actual game and game play was broken beyond belief. Broken mission threads, shambolic physics, diabolical clipping problems, random crashes and lack of direction all buried Boiling Point in the videogame graveyard. Crysis was demonstrated in-game months before its release, something which Far Cry 2 has not done. Now while this doesn't necessarily point to disaster, it would calm the nerves of many if some footage were released.

At the end of the day though only time will tell. Released on the 26th of September, Far Cry 2 could, if promises are followed through, steal not only the show but also the FPS crown.

I have now officially owned a PS3 for a year! WOO HOO! Set off the fireworks and let the band play, I've had a whole year of NEXT GENERATION console goodness! Oh how good its been, all the TOP QUALITY games I've had the privilege to play, all the HIGH DEFINITION Blueray movies I've bought, all the FABULOUS downloadable content I've been privy to. Yep, without shadow of doubt I can say that the PS3 is the single greatest piece of technology you can own!!!! All of us should own one!!!

"What?"

"What do you want me to say?"

(Indistinguishable, muffled voices)

"Now look that wasn't part of the deal!"

(Slightly more aggressive muffled voices)

"No... I .... I can't say that, it doesn't feel right. Its too much..."

(The sound of a gun being cocked)

"Hey woh! Woh ok! Lets not get to hasty about things... I was just saying that.. you know... everything you've got me to say is a lie! Can't we just leave the last untruth alone... I... just... can't...keep...fibbing!"


(BANG!!!)

"OH FUCKING HELL! ARRRHHHH!!! YOU'VE SHOT ME IN THE GOD DAMNED FOOT!!!! OH HELL... LOOK JUST PUT THE GUN DOWN, OK! OH SHIT THERE'S BLOOD EVERYWHERE!!! LOOK I'LL SAY IT ALRIGHT... I"LL FUCKING SAY IT!!!!

(Sounds of pain and anguish)

I... I... Love Sony and whole heartily endorse the........................

(Sudden sounds of a struggle and fistycuffs)


"HA HA! TAKE THAT! YOU NO GOOD, SONY SCOUNDREL!!! AND THAT!!! I"LL TEACH YOU TO GO ROUND SPREADING MALICIOUS LIES ABOUT YOUR LACKLUSTRE PRODUCT!!!!"



Sorry about that. Anyway let me now clear a few things up:

1. I still own only ONE game on the PS3. There is nothing else still, a whole year on, that's worth playing that isn't already installed on my all-round superior PC.

2. I own TWO Blueray movies. They are so expensive that one can only purchase those titles which are truly epic and the range isn't good either.

3. The Sony Store is useless. While relatively slick in presentation there is absolutely nothing worth downloading.

4. The only saving grace of my PS3, so far, is its backwards compatibility with PS2 software.



Of course all this said, I firmly believe that things are looking up for the PS3 in 2008. I can't wait for GTA 4 and Metal Gear Solid 4 and as recently released on Kotaku, the Sony Store is getting a revamp in the spring. So bring it on please Sony as, right now, my PS3 is only a little better than a door stop.

Clearly Patapon has divided opinion over at Penny Arcade!

(Picture courtesy of www.penny-arcade.com)