vimes

The beginning of the article highlights some real problems but when they reach point 11, it mainly turns into "what WE, gamers, want you should provide because we know we are righteous" ... and I'm still amazed at how most english-speaking game journalists can't seem to be able to express a strong opinion or a strong feeling without using fuck or son-of-a-bitch. It's both funny and pathetic, in a way.

Say hi to the strangers, son! hey, you're not talking about me, are you ?

For Us, the people that will have soon their Psychonauts copy but not quite yet , for Us, who can't attend to developers conferences , Gamasutra has opened a wonderful service : Game Developers Conference TV. GDCTV "enables everyone to view some of the best sessions from GDC 2005 via high quality video streamed to the web" as the website state. [ Edit : woops -> the link :http://www.pqhp.com/cmp/gdctv/ ] The first installment is Gameplay Moves Forward into the 21st Century by Peter Molyneux, and even if it is not as deep or as revolutionnary as I though this would be, this one hour presentation is great. It treats the problem of having a broadened audience coming to video games and how games will have be more friendly-using and finds its own features in order to survive as a media giving the opportunties to accomplish things forbidden in any other media. Personnally, I watched this panel in the first place because this was my first opportunity to see/hear Molyneux (more or less) live. I was hoping not get enthusiastic and bash the guy afterwards. After watching this, I must say I now understand how people can be tricked into his humongous theories and view for video games. This guy is passionnate yet very calm and he really believes in his ideas. For example, there is not the shadow of a doubt in his mind that the gameplay mecanism he plans will work. However, because Molineux decided to show how to make game more accessible and attracting, the main interest of this conference resides in the three demo of upcoming games Lionhead is working on rather than in the digression themselves. The first game shown to the audience is The Movies, which Molyneux usesto convey the idea that the mecanisms of gameplay must be integrated in the environment, even in the case of a complex Managment Game. In the case of The Movies, if the idea to display deeper and more precise informations on an item the longer you highlight it, the integration of all menus in the environment seems quite extreme. In a way, it is indeed perfect for the public Molineux admits to target - the mainstream audience who can't and won't play games for hours- however, overall, this interface looks like a student project : it's flashy, it's cool but it really look less efficient that former system. See the presentation and how you must drag and drop some wannabe actor in a particular room of a certain building of your studio to hire him, to see what I mean. On the long term, if there is no backup system with menu etc..., I feel this could be a failure for hardcore gamers. Oh, there is a small demo of what you can do with the Movie Creation System but it's not very convincing. Next is Black and White 2, the game Molyneux and the co-designer of the game define as "The One Which Will Redefine Both RTS and God Game Genre" 'Wow' after seeing this I must that could be true. The most stricking pattern is that, contrary to The Movies - and because B&W2 doesn't seem to involve micro-managment - the lack of HUD gives the game a smooth look and a feel of both almyghtiness and easyness quite impressive. That only wouldn't make a good game (B&W proved this) but the blent of the ideas between the ex-Blizzard employee and Molyneux seems to have created a near perfect creation/mangament system; or at least, the first one that make me want to play a RTS. The Warcraft guy must have play the role of guardian over Molyneux ambition and the game appears less free, yes, but much more interesting. Beside, breeding your creature has apparently become a step the player won't be forced to go through : you can make leave it alone in the village or turn it into a tool of war. B&W2 looks and feels good but the battles were a bit confusing and, same as in B&W, the distinction between the managment of your people and the managment of your creature might turn the game into an unplayable mud. But that seems quite unlikely. Last but not least , it's The Room. Prepare to fear this name and to long for it. The saddest thing is that it isn't even supposed to be released but I wish, I WANT it to be released. It is introduced at the very end of the demonstration in order to show future gameplays. And OH BOOOOOOOYYYY , it looks excellent, its is the best thing I have seen in a while. I don't think there is words that describes how this demonstration made me feel : it is the first time ever I was litterally mouth wide open during a demo. You though Wanda & The Colossus was beyond your imagination, just watch the demo. Anyway, there doesn't seem to be such thing as gaming elements yet, but the artistic ideas are just mind blowing, it's like having the feeling of Myst when you discover a new Island. DAMN, I WANT THIS GAME! So, sorry for the long thread (and all the language mistakes it surely contains, ) but it's been a while since I messed with conceptual ideas like these and because IdleThumbs pretends to looks at game with a refreshing view I think that it was interesting to bring those topics forward.

Is that a joke or what ? Is there really a bonus level ? Anyway, I forgot to thank netmonkey's team for their work, those videos were really great.

Eyh, does anyone know if they recruited some interesting guys at LucasArts ? Because right now, the studio stands behind everyone else both technically and in terms of design.

I always kinda feared the Elders Scroll games because they were so huge. Let me explain : I'm a gamer who doesn't want to miss a thing in a game and in these games were like the ultimate nightmare,I couldn't really go forward in the main plot, there were too many distracting things![location,side quests, etc...] and in the end , I felt lost. But I really enjoyed watch someone playing Morrowind because the art was wonderful and the universe felt alive. The first screens were appealing in terms of technique but the video has removed any inclination of buying it, the art seems casual.

I don't really know the game and I found that funny. Maybe a weak sens of humor is required.

Mmmm, that sounds familiar. Anyway, I haven't had the chance to play Zelda or not long enough to remember it well so I wondered : is Link a character with his own personnality [i.e. Jade in BGE, Raz in Psychonauts] or is he a blank character you 'fill in' (don't know if this expression exists)?

That was fun.

And once again, the game industry can't seem to comprehend what is good in a movie they use as a basis for a game.

Can't you use the gamepad as a remote ?

Wow, it's small ... but the materials used seem cheap. Is that plastic I am seeing ? Backward compatibility is spectacular but might be fun only for a while I think... or it will be for a long time if the new games are bad. Not including DVD features in the main release is suprisingly stupid, isn't it ?

I haven't played the game but the pitch was quite attractive and, in the teaser, the evolution of the Prince made sense... if you hoped for the fact that they explain it in the game. And, the E3 trailer sucks however, ti allows to play a nice game : find out the last part of any sentences the voice of begins... and realize that you are always right.

I don't understand all the hate about this design, it's not like consoles have an history of being objects of art. None of the console I know can be proudly put next to a 20's style toaster. It's a shame but it might not be an insult to humanity. Anyway I don't care, I've never owned a console and I guess I never will.

Don't. Please ?

I ask, O Idle Thumbers! I ask for IdleThumbs TV! For E3 video madness and an Harboiled Egg!

Something interesting would be to see all the things that seems to have disappeared from teh game; such as, lots of thing in the napoleon world... apparently, it was completely redesigned : http://tim.grimfandango.net/psy/info/screenindex.php?sub=fred&num=0 (the last four screenshots) The Design of the tower in Lungfush was entirely different http://tim.grimfandango.net/psy/info/screenindex.php?sub=lung&num=0. I don't remember this this part and this part of Milla's Mind at all and you can't carry brains around anymore And http://tim.grimfandango.net/psy/screens/asylum/17.jpg] that remains a mystery to me , even though the first version of campground is puzzling http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2002/e32002/xbox/psychonauts/psychonauts_screen003.jpg Just by going through Tim Fandango's galleries, you can find more of those.

A few weeks ago, I would have said that sequels or not, it doesn't matter as long as the quality is there; now that I have played a certain original game *hum* I must say that, whatever sequels you take - and as you good as it might be - it can't beat the feeling you have when you're discovering a new environment, new characters, etc... What I would be glad to see happens are 'alternate world' games, which would start from the pitch of a previous game and explore an totally different direction. That would be cool.

You might want to say that to Chris Bayley because it is his arts not mine.

Perhaps, surely even. But you might also want to consider that this news isn't saying anything new or different from the various rumors which have spread since the game launched. Wow, easy. First the 'Green Color Conspiracy thing was an attempt to include a slightly humorous note in an answer I found a bit too coldhearted. Don't go 'fucking cunt' for that. That is what might make you look like a complete idiot. Secondly, I'm not closed to any conclusions based on more or less solid facts but the use of colors is a very basic way to convey latent discourse ( geez) so the fact you put that in spoilers and everything made me smile. I am sorry to have offensed you, but not that sorry. Anyway, I think that Ancel is a smart guy - not the smartest guy around judging on what he delivered story-wise in BGE - and he must have included clues for the sequels. However, I think they might appear in the secondary story or in some small details (i.e. like the guy rumbling lots of things about "Illuminati" at the very beginning of Deus Ex) rather than in the main plot.

The DVD Box format isn't really a problem : if they went the digipack way, we would have great packagings like the ones the DVD market (at least in France) propose.

Regarding the title of the game, I must say that it has always puzzled me. At first, when what I only knew about the game was the fact that we would play a journalist, I though that Beyond Good & Evil was refering to the position of war journalists who are witnessing the Evil but can't do a lot against it themselves. Then, as I played through the game, I was always expecting a plot twist involving the IRIS network, making it less righteous. But in the end, the title doesn't seem to have anything to do with the plot of the game : we know the side we're on in the very first minute of the game, there is no doubt about that and no ambiguity about the righteouness of our actions during the game[ note : that disppointed me a lot]... sooooo, if anyone can see an explanation apart from the Green Color Conspiracy thing, I'll welcome it gladly.

May I say that THIS is totally irrevelant ? Yeah, I think I can: the Jade we're shown in this small article is the first version of Jade that was turned into the model we know like three months before the actual release of BGE. Beside, one can state that the condition for Ancel to be able to make these sequels is the success of the King Kong game he's involved in at the moment.

The Pc version is on the shelves ?

Sapphire is a very good company, I'm the happy owner of a radeon 9600Xp from this constructor and it's a very good one. Only thing i can regret is the not-so-silent fan.