After the flurry of announcements at E3 2008, you might think the gaming industry would take a few months off. Not quite. August was an equally busy month for game events, including my annual pilgrimage to Electronic Arts' Studio Showcase at the company headquarters in Redwood City, CA, plus a visit to a special party for the launch of the racing game Pure from Disney. So, this month I thought I'd take you behind the scenes of what it's like to be a gaming journalist on the road and give you my first impressions of some big games coming later this year and in 2009.
Disney's Pure brings off-road racing to the next generation.
Police chases return in EA's Need for Speed Undercover.
The Godfather returns in a new game set for 2009.
My trip began with a large-scale event from Disney for their upcoming off-road racer, Pure. I'm sure you're saying to yourself, "Wait, Disney is doing a hardcore game?" Yes, and it looks great. Disney flirted with hardcore games earlier this year with Turok (published by Touchstone), but Pure, from Black Rock Studios in England (the developer behind Moto GP and ATV Offroad Fury), is gaining a lot of buzz - including the Game Critics Awards for Best Racing Game at E3 2008. The Disney event included real ATVs and the re-creation of one of the outdoor tracks you'll see in the final product.
Pure takes things to the next level with some of the best visuals I've ever seen in a racing game...
If you're a fan of ATV titles like MX vs. ATV or even MotorStorm you'll know exactly what to expect. But Pure takes things to the next level with some of the best visuals I've ever seen in a racing game. You'll race across 30 courses set in the Italian mountains, the hills of Wyoming, and even one level set next to an active volcano. Two key features really stand out. First, the game's over-the-top physics-defying tricks have to be seen to be believed. They remind me of EA's Freekstyle (2002), an underappreciated title in the EA Sports Big brand. In Pure you can pull off big air and, while floating above the ground, do things like play air guitar! While that may make the game seem almost cartoonish, the level of customization is the second feature that really sets this title apart from the pack. You can use over 65,000 parts to build a bike from scratch!
The next day EA rolled out the red carpet for media at its annual Studio Showcase. Believe it or not, they had new games to show that weren't at E3! There were also a few big corporate announcements, including a deal with Epic Games for a future title from its People Can Fly studio (the creators of Painkiller) and a surprising deal with Grasshopper Manufacture for an action-horror title from Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami and Killer 7 creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda. While no details were revealed on either game, it's impressive to see EA partnering with such powerful developers.
In terms of other key titles at the EA event, the biggest reveal was Godfather II, the sequel to EA's first big open world action game based on the legendary film franchise. While the first Godfather game was a solid success, it didn't quite reach a Grand Theft Auto level of quality. This time, however, EA plans to up the ante by incorporating strategy game elements into the experience. Spanning 3 cities - New York, Miami and Cuba - you are now the Don and get to call the shots. The full-scale, open-world environment is still there, but EA has also created the "Don's View," an overhead strategic map that you can use to command foot soldiers and stay on top of your empire. Of course, the blackhand control scheme is back again, allowing you to strangle players and feel their beating heart stop inside your controller. Multiplayer is also planned, although EA is keeping that element of the game a surprise for the time being.
The other big unveil at the Studio Showcase was Need for Speed Undercover. And here's the biggest surprise of all: The game is shipping in November. In what must be the shortest PR cycle ever for a game, EA unveiled its existence just three months before its release! The announcement event was hosted by actress MaggieQ, who is one of the stars of the game. Whereas Need for Speed ProStreet took the series towards the simulation genre, Undercover returns NFS to its action roots with great cop chases and fast-paced action. EA has even gone back to full motion video cutscenes starring MaggieQ and other Hollywood stars such as singer Christina Milian.
As for the gameplay, you play a police officer who (as you probably guessed from the title) goes undercover in Tri-City, a fictional open-world city. Expect huge open-world chase sequences including cars and helicopters and plenty of pyrotechnics. I, for one, am happy to see Need for Speed take on more of an action-movie tone. But it remains to be seen if they can outdo Burnout's style of over-the-top racing action.
Next month, I'll be back with more inside scoop on the gaming industry, including a look at the rise of music games such as Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour.
