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We as gamers are heading into a golden new world of gaming. Itís always been said that the power of the machine has no bearing on the game itself. This is not a console wars post (someone get Dringo an ambulance) so Iím not going to go into the technical argument. Every week we are seeing game created that were not previously possible on any console before, games like the quite excellent GTA3 and G-Surfers.
Letís start with GTA3, very probably the best of the series. The original was a top down psuedo-3D affair. It was fast, furious, violent and very nearly illegal. In fact, the only thing that saved it from a legal battering was itís really quite poor graphics. Itís successor GTA2 was also of the same graphical style, if a little clearer, and came with oh-so-useful ìset the near futureî get-out clause. Actually, Rockstar could have done GTA in glorious 3D from the start, if a little shoddy. GTA3 is essentially more of the same. Gangland shootings, violent drive-bys, granny muggery and of course, grand theft auto. However, itís the little things that pushed it from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Variable weather, night and day, even the little newspapers that blow across the street, it all makes the Grand Theft Auto world a living, breathing city. At night the midnight vixens come, the scum crawls out of the gutter and the world changes. With the dawn of a new sun the businessmen go to work, mothers take their children to school and the world changes again, a world not possible without the power of todayís console and PCs. Iím sure Goatboy would admit that GTA3 wouldnít be the same without these little touches, and quite rightly so.
So what about G-Surfers? Well, Iíve written about this before so Iíll not go too far into this. Basically, G-Surfers has the whole World programmed into it. It uses a very advanced procedural rendering engine. Instead of having a model of the earth on the DVD, it uses topographic data from the US military, and generates the landscape as you approach it, using the procedural engine. This means that not only are there zero loading times, but itís is 100% accurate with no need to change discs. Technology like this was never before possible without the power of the PS2. This should create an incredible gaming experience, especially with the Trackman track editor, also not before possible. This allows gamers to create their own tracks up to the standard of the ones in game, because Trackman is actually what the developers used to create them.
All this fantastic new hardware being released by Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft is creating all sorts of new possibilities for game developers. The PlayStation was the first console to be able to handle Metal Gear Solid, who knows what Kojima has in store for Metal Gear Solid. Burnout is only possible because of the immense mathematical abilities of the PS2, Pikmin only exists because of the GameCube, and these are only first generation games. One can hardly imagine what wondrous gaming experiences weíll be enjoying in 5 yearís time, but itís certainly very exciting.
The future of gaming? Well, who knows, but I can hardly wait.
Letís start with GTA3, very probably the best of the series. The original was a top down psuedo-3D affair. It was fast, furious, violent and very nearly illegal. In fact, the only thing that saved it from a legal battering was itís really quite poor graphics. Itís successor GTA2 was also of the same graphical style, if a little clearer, and came with oh-so-useful ìset the near futureî get-out clause. Actually, Rockstar could have done GTA in glorious 3D from the start, if a little shoddy. GTA3 is essentially more of the same. Gangland shootings, violent drive-bys, granny muggery and of course, grand theft auto. However, itís the little things that pushed it from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Variable weather, night and day, even the little newspapers that blow across the street, it all makes the Grand Theft Auto world a living, breathing city. At night the midnight vixens come, the scum crawls out of the gutter and the world changes. With the dawn of a new sun the businessmen go to work, mothers take their children to school and the world changes again, a world not possible without the power of todayís console and PCs. Iím sure Goatboy would admit that GTA3 wouldnít be the same without these little touches, and quite rightly so.
So what about G-Surfers? Well, Iíve written about this before so Iíll not go too far into this. Basically, G-Surfers has the whole World programmed into it. It uses a very advanced procedural rendering engine. Instead of having a model of the earth on the DVD, it uses topographic data from the US military, and generates the landscape as you approach it, using the procedural engine. This means that not only are there zero loading times, but itís is 100% accurate with no need to change discs. Technology like this was never before possible without the power of the PS2. This should create an incredible gaming experience, especially with the Trackman track editor, also not before possible. This allows gamers to create their own tracks up to the standard of the ones in game, because Trackman is actually what the developers used to create them.
All this fantastic new hardware being released by Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft is creating all sorts of new possibilities for game developers. The PlayStation was the first console to be able to handle Metal Gear Solid, who knows what Kojima has in store for Metal Gear Solid. Burnout is only possible because of the immense mathematical abilities of the PS2, Pikmin only exists because of the GameCube, and these are only first generation games. One can hardly imagine what wondrous gaming experiences weíll be enjoying in 5 yearís time, but itís certainly very exciting.
The future of gaming? Well, who knows, but I can hardly wait.
Um, I know not much about games, so I'll nod and agree firmly. Yes a bright new dawn of gaming is upon us, with much heralding and wossnames. Still not happy? Um... Go PS2?
;-)
I'm looking forward the Broken Sword 3, which should bring a new dimension to my favourite gaming gnere - Point 'n' click. Damn Dirty FPS.
*hides copies of Thief and Serious Sam*
;-)
I'm looking forward the Broken Sword 3, which should bring a new dimension to my favourite gaming gnere - Point 'n' click. Damn Dirty FPS.
*hides copies of Thief and Serious Sam*
We as gamers are heading into a golden new world of gaming. Itís always been said that the power of the machine has no bearing on the game itself. This is not a console wars post (someone get Dringo an ambulance) so Iím not going to go into the technical argument. Every week we are seeing game created that were not previously possible on any console before, games like the quite excellent GTA3 and G-Surfers.
Letís start with GTA3, very probably the best of the series. The original was a top down psuedo-3D affair. It was fast, furious, violent and very nearly illegal. In fact, the only thing that saved it from a legal battering was itís really quite poor graphics. Itís successor GTA2 was also of the same graphical style, if a little clearer, and came with oh-so-useful ìset the near futureî get-out clause. Actually, Rockstar could have done GTA in glorious 3D from the start, if a little shoddy. GTA3 is essentially more of the same. Gangland shootings, violent drive-bys, granny muggery and of course, grand theft auto. However, itís the little things that pushed it from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Variable weather, night and day, even the little newspapers that blow across the street, it all makes the Grand Theft Auto world a living, breathing city. At night the midnight vixens come, the scum crawls out of the gutter and the world changes. With the dawn of a new sun the businessmen go to work, mothers take their children to school and the world changes again, a world not possible without the power of todayís console and PCs. Iím sure Goatboy would admit that GTA3 wouldnít be the same without these little touches, and quite rightly so.
So what about G-Surfers? Well, Iíve written about this before so Iíll not go too far into this. Basically, G-Surfers has the whole World programmed into it. It uses a very advanced procedural rendering engine. Instead of having a model of the earth on the DVD, it uses topographic data from the US military, and generates the landscape as you approach it, using the procedural engine. This means that not only are there zero loading times, but itís is 100% accurate with no need to change discs. Technology like this was never before possible without the power of the PS2. This should create an incredible gaming experience, especially with the Trackman track editor, also not before possible. This allows gamers to create their own tracks up to the standard of the ones in game, because Trackman is actually what the developers used to create them.
All this fantastic new hardware being released by Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft is creating all sorts of new possibilities for game developers. The PlayStation was the first console to be able to handle Metal Gear Solid, who knows what Kojima has in store for Metal Gear Solid. Burnout is only possible because of the immense mathematical abilities of the PS2, Pikmin only exists because of the GameCube, and these are only first generation games. One can hardly imagine what wondrous gaming experiences weíll be enjoying in 5 yearís time, but itís certainly very exciting.
The future of gaming? Well, who knows, but I can hardly wait.
Letís start with GTA3, very probably the best of the series. The original was a top down psuedo-3D affair. It was fast, furious, violent and very nearly illegal. In fact, the only thing that saved it from a legal battering was itís really quite poor graphics. Itís successor GTA2 was also of the same graphical style, if a little clearer, and came with oh-so-useful ìset the near futureî get-out clause. Actually, Rockstar could have done GTA in glorious 3D from the start, if a little shoddy. GTA3 is essentially more of the same. Gangland shootings, violent drive-bys, granny muggery and of course, grand theft auto. However, itís the little things that pushed it from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Variable weather, night and day, even the little newspapers that blow across the street, it all makes the Grand Theft Auto world a living, breathing city. At night the midnight vixens come, the scum crawls out of the gutter and the world changes. With the dawn of a new sun the businessmen go to work, mothers take their children to school and the world changes again, a world not possible without the power of todayís console and PCs. Iím sure Goatboy would admit that GTA3 wouldnít be the same without these little touches, and quite rightly so.
So what about G-Surfers? Well, Iíve written about this before so Iíll not go too far into this. Basically, G-Surfers has the whole World programmed into it. It uses a very advanced procedural rendering engine. Instead of having a model of the earth on the DVD, it uses topographic data from the US military, and generates the landscape as you approach it, using the procedural engine. This means that not only are there zero loading times, but itís is 100% accurate with no need to change discs. Technology like this was never before possible without the power of the PS2. This should create an incredible gaming experience, especially with the Trackman track editor, also not before possible. This allows gamers to create their own tracks up to the standard of the ones in game, because Trackman is actually what the developers used to create them.
All this fantastic new hardware being released by Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft is creating all sorts of new possibilities for game developers. The PlayStation was the first console to be able to handle Metal Gear Solid, who knows what Kojima has in store for Metal Gear Solid. Burnout is only possible because of the immense mathematical abilities of the PS2, Pikmin only exists because of the GameCube, and these are only first generation games. One can hardly imagine what wondrous gaming experiences weíll be enjoying in 5 yearís time, but itís certainly very exciting.
The future of gaming? Well, who knows, but I can hardly wait.