Sierra and Radical working on PROTOTYPE

Prototype Preview

Sierra Entertainment will be releasing a new open-ended, do-anything sort of game next year, under development by the almighty Radical Entertainment, known for games like Scarface: The World is Yours and The Simpsons Hit & Run. The game is titled ‘PROTOTYPE’ (the caps are entirely intentional) and will be set in New York City.

The game will revolve around a man named Alex Mercer, who has had a disturbing past and is currently raging a war. Things go downhill and you find yourself wrapped up in a story full of deception, double-crossing, conspiracy and perhaps more video game clichés.

Mercer will have unique powers that allow him to change shape and morph into anyone who crosses his path, complete with skills and powers. While I wouldn’t the call the ability particularly innovative, I’d like to see it in a video game! This ability will be no doubt connected to Mercer’s shady past which he must uncover while saving the world. C’mon, when are there going to be more original plots?

But good plot or not, Kelly Zmak, president of Radical Entertainment made me happy with the following lines:

Radical Entertainment set out to create the most dynamic video game character ever imagined. From free-form movement to over-the-top combat action; PROTOTYPE can climb or wall-run across any surface, jump 30 stories high, and destroy anything that crosses his path. Our team at Radical has built upon the technology that drove our previous best-selling games and now has the freedom to dream big and imagine a powerful character in a sprawling city like New York, cloaked in a conspiracy and ripped from today’s headlines.

Sounds real sexy, doesn’t it? I just hope these uber abilities aren’t some lame stuff added near the end of the game for an hour. I hate it when they do that.

PROTOTYPE will be coming out for the Xbox 360, the PS3 and your good ol’ PC in the Summer of 2008. Watch for it, but first check out these screenies:

Prototype Image 1 Prototype Image 2 Prototype Image 3 Prototype Image 4

UT3+PS3+Mouse+Keyboard is possible. Xbox 360 can go to hell.

UT3’s shiny graphics.

Mark Rein, VP at Epic Games announced on the Epic Games Forum not long ago that the PS3 version of Unreal Tournament III will feature keyboard and mouse compatibility. Why is that such a big issue, you ask? Because of two main reasons.

  • As any UT fan will tell you, there is no better UT experience than a good ol’ keyboard and mouse. While consoles are nice and all, you can’t beat the PC’s controls. So bang, add the Keyboard/Mouse compatibility to the PS3 and you’ve got yourself a winner.
  • Microsoft is big on not allowing developers to make games K/M compatible. Of course, they’re Microsoft.

This effectively means that Epic is going to over to the PS3 camp even more, while Microsoft is wondering where they went wrong. Epic had also announced earlier that the Xbox 360 version of the game will release quite a while after the PS3 and PC release. Also, the PS3 will support user-made modifications, something that the Xbox Live shindig isn’t cool with.

Here’s what he said, if you’re too lazy to click the link above.

I checked with Steve Polge and he said that YES we are supporting keyboard and mouse in Unreal Tournament 3 on PS3. He is confident we are doing it in a way that will be balanced without feeling “gimped” for either side. We’ll also allow people to choose whether or not they want to allow mixed controller vs. keyboard/mouse games or not.

Mark also states that more details will be coming soon. I can’t friggin’ wait!

id’s Rage

Road rage

At QuakeCon 07 id Software revealed it’s latest game Rage. If you’ve ever played a video game before you might already know what this one is about: post-apocalyptic world where the player fights the government. How original…

Rage is being developed with all-new technology called tech5, developed by John Carmack – the dude that is the reason why id Software is so popular aka the co-founder.

The major difference between Rage and other id games in the past is that you’ll be able to roam in the outdoors! What a concept.

Grand Theft Auto IV, BlackSite: Area 51, and Lair Keel Over

GTA IV

Two EPIC games have been delayed: BlackSite: Area 51 and Grand Theft Auto IV. It makes me ill to my stomach to think that the industry had to delay such gems to make them better. What happened to outsourcing?!

Get some slave labor working on the game and we industrialized nations wouldn’t have to deal with such baloney. I mean seriously I don’t think I can wait till November 25, 2007 to play BlackSite: Area 51 or the second fiscal quarter of 2008 to play GTAIV! Gosh people, I don’t care about “setting a new standard for next-generation games!” I simply want to play these games. That’s all folks.

Is that so hard to ask?

Don’t even mention how Lair was delayed yesterday to September 4, 2007. Man the game industry is lazy.

[Update]

GamerTagRadio is reporting that Medal of Honor: Airbone is another game being added to the delayed list. It’ll be released on September 4, 2007. I knew a tester on this game and he said it was extremely bad. So I won’t bother making fun of MOH.

Indiana Jones is back, in Lego form!

Lego Indiana Jones

Ah Indy, you’ve given us joy and adventure for years. You may be old now, but your visage will forever been in our hearts… in block form. Yes Traveller’s Tales has announced yet ANOTHER Lego game to be released. Besides Lego Batman and Lego Star Wars, Traveller’s Tales is going to be developing an Indiana Jones Legos game based on the first three movies. Not much is known about the release itself, but expect a Wii, 360, PS3, and perhaps a DS and PSP release sometime next summer.

The game seems to follow the tried and true format of the last two Lego Star Wars games, with focus on Indy. I’m certain there’ll be more characters to play as and extensive use of Airplanes, Horses, motorcycles, and even Indy’s Whip through out the game’s three stories. Again, not much is known, but the trailer LucasArts released shows a few small segments of gameplay with Indiana swinging on vines, shooting his pistol, and running from a boulder. Looks like fun, but I hope it gets released with Online Co-op like they’re doing with Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga.

[Via: Source]