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Innerloop officially announced that IGI 2 is being delayed until September. The main reasons for the delay are that Innerloop want to 'ensure the Beta Test process is handled professionally and effectively' and there seems to be some problems with the netcode.
"As you know, the Beta Test has been delayed due to work on the netcode not being complete. Developing a high-quality FPS multiplayer experience is a real challenge, but one the dev team at Innerloop has taken on with a vengeance! They’ve been working flat out on the code, but some QA issues, mainly with server code, have held us back."
Extracts from official Codemasters statement:
"The game will include the implementation of a new “save” system',
Artificial Intelligence for the game’s enemy agents has been significantly reworked. Meanwhile, development work on IGI 2: Covert Strike’s all-new multiplayer mode continues."
IGI 2 was supposed to be released next month but this delay hopefully will ensure a better gaming experience all round. Its bad news but the important thing is that IGI 2 is not rushed as the first one was. According to previews, the game wasn't in a perfect state anyway. And we remember the (brilliant) bugged mess the first one was. I may not expect much from it, but if it delivers what the first did, only amending the faults then that's me sold. Saying that the most exciting feature of IGI2 is (so far) the vast explorable landscape, says to me that the rest perhaps isn't working out too well? After all, the vast landscapes were in Project IGI. I've read a couple of previews on the net, and found mostly gave a positive response from the preview code. I really hope they can make this game rewarding for being stealthy, as the first, because of bad AI, was 'Oh heck, I'll just shoot my way through!'. With some good level design and much improved AI, this game may not look like Unreal 2003, but its the gameplay which will/should rock. There are many potential problems for this game, but the original remains one of my best experiences simply because the quality of the gameplay won over the bugs and AI issues. The sequel should fix some of the problems.
There's one problem in IGI 2, the graphics haven't changed significantly, if at all from the first game and it looks like the interface hasn't either. You have to admit the game could be mistaken for IGI at times, they even have some of the same guns. I want to like IGI 2, as I was a big fan of Project IGI, but unless they actually make some visible improvements, I think the game will look outdated even before it's been released. Strictly speaking a sequel should improve on graphics and look slightly different to improve gameplay. The gameplay is far, far more important than graphics, although I must admit I love games with great graphics, but MOHAA for example was also great fun to play. If it wasn't fun then the graphics don't really matter, do they? The graphics only hold you for the first hour or 2 of gaming, once you get over the jaw drop of gun renders and character models, I'm sure most people would drop the game if it lacked compelling gameplay. Yes, graphics are important but the problem is that IGI was rushed out and so IGI2 not only needs to improve on IGI in a new storyline, mission structure example, but make sure people aren't going to laugh at the AI and sloppy way that stealth was handled. The graphics look like they haven't been improved at all, and this will be a major drawback in a critic's eyes. I'm pretty sure the gameplay will be improved, but it would be nice to see it run on the latest Unreal engine or something, wouldn't it?
You could look at it like this, I suppose:
Which critics migh that be? The shallow ones?
Maybe I'm weird but - at least on my GeForce 3 - IGI's graphics are stunning. Who cares how much the graphics are improved, they may not be able to tweak that engine much anyway. And the much better the graphics are, with the massive environments as well, will equal massive system requirments. And the bottom line is, it doesn't matter what a cxertain reviewer or critic thinks or whether he bases part of his score on 'crude' graphics, if the cunning gameplay is still there, most people will be happy. Like me. Its kinda like a huge patch that IGI should have had!
Personally, I don't see how it can fail, at least, not in it's own niche. You may not agree with the 'fixing' thing, but it's surely good news for us fans that there will be Multiplayer, good support from Codemasters, save option, decent AI etc. While I enjoyed IGI, there would be no excuse if Unreal II didn't surpass the scale of IGI2. By the screenshots, some levels look absolutely massive, and I don't think IGI2 will be beating it in that category. Get if you want gritty, tense gameplay, but I'm not expecting anythign awe-inspiring.
I'm a fan of Project IGI, which is why I bought the game the day I got the demo, and why I was one of the first to sign up for the IGI 2 beta-test. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying all this because I don't like the game, it just seems to me that if the graphics haven't changed, all we're going to be getting is a few bug-fixes and a multiplayer mode. I'm pretty sure Innerloop are working hard on the gameplay elements, but from the previews and screenshos, can you see any real innovation? In the screenshots I saw David Jones at a mounted gun, already seen in loads of different FPSs. The first IGI innovated by not having a save feature, among other things, and were all implemented well into the game, but Innerloop aren't setting their sights very high for the sequel - their targets include fixing the old game, and adding in run-of-the-mill features like a multiplayer mode. Perhaps if they were a bit more ambitious, they'd have me a bit more excited about this game.
It doesn't seem very ambitious. They could perhaps make you breaking a coded door more interactive instead of going to 3rd person which I always found a bit odd. How about stealing the code or forcing a guard to tell you then inputting the code yourself, breaking padlocks, or unlocking doors. Whatever, but more interactive. Switching to 3rd person made me think, why aren't I doing it! am I only capable with a gun! Don't you think this would make it more immersive? Again, like logging onto computers and disabling security cameras or opening electronic doors. Would it be too hard to make some kind of intereface screen to perform a simple shutdown? That's what a slight amount of ambition is, but instead IGI2 isn't really offering anything more than the original is it? Wow, multiplayer! That's pretty much expected as the norm by todays standards, but instead it's one of the biggest innovations for IGI2. Save feature, well thats just great...New AI. Yes, it needs to be overhauled. I mean, what are codemasters gonna put on the back of the IGI2 box? It's Project IGI but with Multiplayer, a save feature and new AI? It just seems to me that they have looked at it as a sequel to fix the bugs of the first one and cash in on it as a complete new game. That's really not going to get many people that interested.
Graphics aren't THE most importnat thing, but they are almost joint top, 9 times out of 10 graphics = atmosphere, and that IS important. Can you honestly fool yourself into believeing that if an FPS came out tomorrow using the DOOM 1 engine you'd enjoy it? No matter how good the gameplay. I know I wouldn't, it might hold my attention for a very small ammount of time, a gimmick if you will, but then I'd get bored of it and throw it away.
IGI 2 looks exactly like IGI1 in my opinion, and it was only the landscape part of the graphics that were any good, interiour was shat, models poor and the list goes on. And now a couple years later and its exactly the same. With respawning enemies (the worst cardinal sin in games) and the same drab engine. I liked IGI, i looked forward to it, and finished it. It was hard but I did it. With all the bugs, and terrible AI, not to mention respawning enemies, two years later if its exactly the same game but mapped differently and bugs ironed out it will be worth begger all. Sorry, but in two years I expect a game to have evolved into something a lot better than what it was. A few tweaks, exact same textures and graphics mearly mapped into different locals doesn't not hold my attention.
IGI 2 looks more like IGI 1.5, but I am not complaining, I loved the original apart from the dodgy AI. In fact I am currently replaying it. I am on the level where you have been shot down in the chopper. On my first attempt I was impeccable, I wasn't even shot at I was so stealthy. Then the chopper comes along. I nail the guys by the jeep, hide in the ruins of the house and wait. Ta-da! It magically knows where I am and blows me up! And that f@cking tank was following me about aswell. IGI is brilliant in places, and utterly frustrating at others. Playing the arms-sale level, even though I didn't set off the alarm, the guys still come streaming out of the barracks when I climb up the electricity pilon. Luckily I had a Jackhammer, which quickly sorted them out...
Anyway, I was quite excited from previews about how the Security cameras will work better and that missions won't all be stealth.
There you go, there's my mixed-views on IGI2 (my hands are bloody sore!) and about it being delayed. Opinions?
Thanks for reading,
LF
"As you know, the Beta Test has been delayed due to work on the netcode not being complete. Developing a high-quality FPS multiplayer experience is a real challenge, but one the dev team at Innerloop has taken on with a vengeance! They’ve been working flat out on the code, but some QA issues, mainly with server code, have held us back."
Extracts from official Codemasters statement:
"The game will include the implementation of a new “save” system',
Artificial Intelligence for the game’s enemy agents has been significantly reworked. Meanwhile, development work on IGI 2: Covert Strike’s all-new multiplayer mode continues."
IGI 2 was supposed to be released next month but this delay hopefully will ensure a better gaming experience all round. Its bad news but the important thing is that IGI 2 is not rushed as the first one was. According to previews, the game wasn't in a perfect state anyway. And we remember the (brilliant) bugged mess the first one was. I may not expect much from it, but if it delivers what the first did, only amending the faults then that's me sold. Saying that the most exciting feature of IGI2 is (so far) the vast explorable landscape, says to me that the rest perhaps isn't working out too well? After all, the vast landscapes were in Project IGI. I've read a couple of previews on the net, and found mostly gave a positive response from the preview code. I really hope they can make this game rewarding for being stealthy, as the first, because of bad AI, was 'Oh heck, I'll just shoot my way through!'. With some good level design and much improved AI, this game may not look like Unreal 2003, but its the gameplay which will/should rock. There are many potential problems for this game, but the original remains one of my best experiences simply because the quality of the gameplay won over the bugs and AI issues. The sequel should fix some of the problems.
There's one problem in IGI 2, the graphics haven't changed significantly, if at all from the first game and it looks like the interface hasn't either. You have to admit the game could be mistaken for IGI at times, they even have some of the same guns. I want to like IGI 2, as I was a big fan of Project IGI, but unless they actually make some visible improvements, I think the game will look outdated even before it's been released. Strictly speaking a sequel should improve on graphics and look slightly different to improve gameplay. The gameplay is far, far more important than graphics, although I must admit I love games with great graphics, but MOHAA for example was also great fun to play. If it wasn't fun then the graphics don't really matter, do they? The graphics only hold you for the first hour or 2 of gaming, once you get over the jaw drop of gun renders and character models, I'm sure most people would drop the game if it lacked compelling gameplay. Yes, graphics are important but the problem is that IGI was rushed out and so IGI2 not only needs to improve on IGI in a new storyline, mission structure example, but make sure people aren't going to laugh at the AI and sloppy way that stealth was handled. The graphics look like they haven't been improved at all, and this will be a major drawback in a critic's eyes. I'm pretty sure the gameplay will be improved, but it would be nice to see it run on the latest Unreal engine or something, wouldn't it?
You could look at it like this, I suppose:
Which critics migh that be? The shallow ones?
Maybe I'm weird but - at least on my GeForce 3 - IGI's graphics are stunning. Who cares how much the graphics are improved, they may not be able to tweak that engine much anyway. And the much better the graphics are, with the massive environments as well, will equal massive system requirments. And the bottom line is, it doesn't matter what a cxertain reviewer or critic thinks or whether he bases part of his score on 'crude' graphics, if the cunning gameplay is still there, most people will be happy. Like me. Its kinda like a huge patch that IGI should have had!
Personally, I don't see how it can fail, at least, not in it's own niche. You may not agree with the 'fixing' thing, but it's surely good news for us fans that there will be Multiplayer, good support from Codemasters, save option, decent AI etc. While I enjoyed IGI, there would be no excuse if Unreal II didn't surpass the scale of IGI2. By the screenshots, some levels look absolutely massive, and I don't think IGI2 will be beating it in that category. Get if you want gritty, tense gameplay, but I'm not expecting anythign awe-inspiring.
I'm a fan of Project IGI, which is why I bought the game the day I got the demo, and why I was one of the first to sign up for the IGI 2 beta-test. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying all this because I don't like the game, it just seems to me that if the graphics haven't changed, all we're going to be getting is a few bug-fixes and a multiplayer mode. I'm pretty sure Innerloop are working hard on the gameplay elements, but from the previews and screenshos, can you see any real innovation? In the screenshots I saw David Jones at a mounted gun, already seen in loads of different FPSs. The first IGI innovated by not having a save feature, among other things, and were all implemented well into the game, but Innerloop aren't setting their sights very high for the sequel - their targets include fixing the old game, and adding in run-of-the-mill features like a multiplayer mode. Perhaps if they were a bit more ambitious, they'd have me a bit more excited about this game.
It doesn't seem very ambitious. They could perhaps make you breaking a coded door more interactive instead of going to 3rd person which I always found a bit odd. How about stealing the code or forcing a guard to tell you then inputting the code yourself, breaking padlocks, or unlocking doors. Whatever, but more interactive. Switching to 3rd person made me think, why aren't I doing it! am I only capable with a gun! Don't you think this would make it more immersive? Again, like logging onto computers and disabling security cameras or opening electronic doors. Would it be too hard to make some kind of intereface screen to perform a simple shutdown? That's what a slight amount of ambition is, but instead IGI2 isn't really offering anything more than the original is it? Wow, multiplayer! That's pretty much expected as the norm by todays standards, but instead it's one of the biggest innovations for IGI2. Save feature, well thats just great...New AI. Yes, it needs to be overhauled. I mean, what are codemasters gonna put on the back of the IGI2 box? It's Project IGI but with Multiplayer, a save feature and new AI? It just seems to me that they have looked at it as a sequel to fix the bugs of the first one and cash in on it as a complete new game. That's really not going to get many people that interested.
Graphics aren't THE most importnat thing, but they are almost joint top, 9 times out of 10 graphics = atmosphere, and that IS important. Can you honestly fool yourself into believeing that if an FPS came out tomorrow using the DOOM 1 engine you'd enjoy it? No matter how good the gameplay. I know I wouldn't, it might hold my attention for a very small ammount of time, a gimmick if you will, but then I'd get bored of it and throw it away.
IGI 2 looks exactly like IGI1 in my opinion, and it was only the landscape part of the graphics that were any good, interiour was shat, models poor and the list goes on. And now a couple years later and its exactly the same. With respawning enemies (the worst cardinal sin in games) and the same drab engine. I liked IGI, i looked forward to it, and finished it. It was hard but I did it. With all the bugs, and terrible AI, not to mention respawning enemies, two years later if its exactly the same game but mapped differently and bugs ironed out it will be worth begger all. Sorry, but in two years I expect a game to have evolved into something a lot better than what it was. A few tweaks, exact same textures and graphics mearly mapped into different locals doesn't not hold my attention.
IGI 2 looks more like IGI 1.5, but I am not complaining, I loved the original apart from the dodgy AI. In fact I am currently replaying it. I am on the level where you have been shot down in the chopper. On my first attempt I was impeccable, I wasn't even shot at I was so stealthy. Then the chopper comes along. I nail the guys by the jeep, hide in the ruins of the house and wait. Ta-da! It magically knows where I am and blows me up! And that f@cking tank was following me about aswell. IGI is brilliant in places, and utterly frustrating at others. Playing the arms-sale level, even though I didn't set off the alarm, the guys still come streaming out of the barracks when I climb up the electricity pilon. Luckily I had a Jackhammer, which quickly sorted them out...
Anyway, I was quite excited from previews about how the Security cameras will work better and that missions won't all be stealth.
There you go, there's my mixed-views on IGI2 (my hands are bloody sore!) and about it being delayed. Opinions?
Thanks for reading,
LF
Christ I hate delays. The scourge of the gaming industry. I've not relly been interested in IGI2, but the one good thing about this delay is that I can buy the origanal game on budget and catch up a bit on the game.
Sounds good to me, thing is my computer is so crappy, I doubt it would run it anyway.
Bang Bang
Bang Bang
Damn, I was waiting for this game. Great post there LF.
Innerloop officially announced that IGI 2 is being delayed until September. The main reasons for the delay are that Innerloop want to 'ensure the Beta Test process is handled professionally and effectively' and there seems to be some problems with the netcode.
"As you know, the Beta Test has been delayed due to work on the netcode not being complete. Developing a high-quality FPS multiplayer experience is a real challenge, but one the dev team at Innerloop has taken on with a vengeance! They’ve been working flat out on the code, but some QA issues, mainly with server code, have held us back."
Extracts from official Codemasters statement:
"The game will include the implementation of a new “save” system',
Artificial Intelligence for the game’s enemy agents has been significantly reworked. Meanwhile, development work on IGI 2: Covert Strike’s all-new multiplayer mode continues."
IGI 2 was supposed to be released next month but this delay hopefully will ensure a better gaming experience all round. Its bad news but the important thing is that IGI 2 is not rushed as the first one was. According to previews, the game wasn't in a perfect state anyway. And we remember the (brilliant) bugged mess the first one was. I may not expect much from it, but if it delivers what the first did, only amending the faults then that's me sold. Saying that the most exciting feature of IGI2 is (so far) the vast explorable landscape, says to me that the rest perhaps isn't working out too well? After all, the vast landscapes were in Project IGI. I've read a couple of previews on the net, and found mostly gave a positive response from the preview code. I really hope they can make this game rewarding for being stealthy, as the first, because of bad AI, was 'Oh heck, I'll just shoot my way through!'. With some good level design and much improved AI, this game may not look like Unreal 2003, but its the gameplay which will/should rock. There are many potential problems for this game, but the original remains one of my best experiences simply because the quality of the gameplay won over the bugs and AI issues. The sequel should fix some of the problems.
There's one problem in IGI 2, the graphics haven't changed significantly, if at all from the first game and it looks like the interface hasn't either. You have to admit the game could be mistaken for IGI at times, they even have some of the same guns. I want to like IGI 2, as I was a big fan of Project IGI, but unless they actually make some visible improvements, I think the game will look outdated even before it's been released. Strictly speaking a sequel should improve on graphics and look slightly different to improve gameplay. The gameplay is far, far more important than graphics, although I must admit I love games with great graphics, but MOHAA for example was also great fun to play. If it wasn't fun then the graphics don't really matter, do they? The graphics only hold you for the first hour or 2 of gaming, once you get over the jaw drop of gun renders and character models, I'm sure most people would drop the game if it lacked compelling gameplay. Yes, graphics are important but the problem is that IGI was rushed out and so IGI2 not only needs to improve on IGI in a new storyline, mission structure example, but make sure people aren't going to laugh at the AI and sloppy way that stealth was handled. The graphics look like they haven't been improved at all, and this will be a major drawback in a critic's eyes. I'm pretty sure the gameplay will be improved, but it would be nice to see it run on the latest Unreal engine or something, wouldn't it?
You could look at it like this, I suppose:
Which critics migh that be? The shallow ones?
Maybe I'm weird but - at least on my GeForce 3 - IGI's graphics are stunning. Who cares how much the graphics are improved, they may not be able to tweak that engine much anyway. And the much better the graphics are, with the massive environments as well, will equal massive system requirments. And the bottom line is, it doesn't matter what a cxertain reviewer or critic thinks or whether he bases part of his score on 'crude' graphics, if the cunning gameplay is still there, most people will be happy. Like me. Its kinda like a huge patch that IGI should have had!
Personally, I don't see how it can fail, at least, not in it's own niche. You may not agree with the 'fixing' thing, but it's surely good news for us fans that there will be Multiplayer, good support from Codemasters, save option, decent AI etc. While I enjoyed IGI, there would be no excuse if Unreal II didn't surpass the scale of IGI2. By the screenshots, some levels look absolutely massive, and I don't think IGI2 will be beating it in that category. Get if you want gritty, tense gameplay, but I'm not expecting anythign awe-inspiring.
I'm a fan of Project IGI, which is why I bought the game the day I got the demo, and why I was one of the first to sign up for the IGI 2 beta-test. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying all this because I don't like the game, it just seems to me that if the graphics haven't changed, all we're going to be getting is a few bug-fixes and a multiplayer mode. I'm pretty sure Innerloop are working hard on the gameplay elements, but from the previews and screenshos, can you see any real innovation? In the screenshots I saw David Jones at a mounted gun, already seen in loads of different FPSs. The first IGI innovated by not having a save feature, among other things, and were all implemented well into the game, but Innerloop aren't setting their sights very high for the sequel - their targets include fixing the old game, and adding in run-of-the-mill features like a multiplayer mode. Perhaps if they were a bit more ambitious, they'd have me a bit more excited about this game.
It doesn't seem very ambitious. They could perhaps make you breaking a coded door more interactive instead of going to 3rd person which I always found a bit odd. How about stealing the code or forcing a guard to tell you then inputting the code yourself, breaking padlocks, or unlocking doors. Whatever, but more interactive. Switching to 3rd person made me think, why aren't I doing it! am I only capable with a gun! Don't you think this would make it more immersive? Again, like logging onto computers and disabling security cameras or opening electronic doors. Would it be too hard to make some kind of intereface screen to perform a simple shutdown? That's what a slight amount of ambition is, but instead IGI2 isn't really offering anything more than the original is it? Wow, multiplayer! That's pretty much expected as the norm by todays standards, but instead it's one of the biggest innovations for IGI2. Save feature, well thats just great...New AI. Yes, it needs to be overhauled. I mean, what are codemasters gonna put on the back of the IGI2 box? It's Project IGI but with Multiplayer, a save feature and new AI? It just seems to me that they have looked at it as a sequel to fix the bugs of the first one and cash in on it as a complete new game. That's really not going to get many people that interested.
Graphics aren't THE most importnat thing, but they are almost joint top, 9 times out of 10 graphics = atmosphere, and that IS important. Can you honestly fool yourself into believeing that if an FPS came out tomorrow using the DOOM 1 engine you'd enjoy it? No matter how good the gameplay. I know I wouldn't, it might hold my attention for a very small ammount of time, a gimmick if you will, but then I'd get bored of it and throw it away.
IGI 2 looks exactly like IGI1 in my opinion, and it was only the landscape part of the graphics that were any good, interiour was shat, models poor and the list goes on. And now a couple years later and its exactly the same. With respawning enemies (the worst cardinal sin in games) and the same drab engine. I liked IGI, i looked forward to it, and finished it. It was hard but I did it. With all the bugs, and terrible AI, not to mention respawning enemies, two years later if its exactly the same game but mapped differently and bugs ironed out it will be worth begger all. Sorry, but in two years I expect a game to have evolved into something a lot better than what it was. A few tweaks, exact same textures and graphics mearly mapped into different locals doesn't not hold my attention.
IGI 2 looks more like IGI 1.5, but I am not complaining, I loved the original apart from the dodgy AI. In fact I am currently replaying it. I am on the level where you have been shot down in the chopper. On my first attempt I was impeccable, I wasn't even shot at I was so stealthy. Then the chopper comes along. I nail the guys by the jeep, hide in the ruins of the house and wait. Ta-da! It magically knows where I am and blows me up! And that f@cking tank was following me about aswell. IGI is brilliant in places, and utterly frustrating at others. Playing the arms-sale level, even though I didn't set off the alarm, the guys still come streaming out of the barracks when I climb up the electricity pilon. Luckily I had a Jackhammer, which quickly sorted them out...
Anyway, I was quite excited from previews about how the Security cameras will work better and that missions won't all be stealth.
There you go, there's my mixed-views on IGI2 (my hands are bloody sore!) and about it being delayed. Opinions?
Thanks for reading,
LF
"As you know, the Beta Test has been delayed due to work on the netcode not being complete. Developing a high-quality FPS multiplayer experience is a real challenge, but one the dev team at Innerloop has taken on with a vengeance! They’ve been working flat out on the code, but some QA issues, mainly with server code, have held us back."
Extracts from official Codemasters statement:
"The game will include the implementation of a new “save” system',
Artificial Intelligence for the game’s enemy agents has been significantly reworked. Meanwhile, development work on IGI 2: Covert Strike’s all-new multiplayer mode continues."
IGI 2 was supposed to be released next month but this delay hopefully will ensure a better gaming experience all round. Its bad news but the important thing is that IGI 2 is not rushed as the first one was. According to previews, the game wasn't in a perfect state anyway. And we remember the (brilliant) bugged mess the first one was. I may not expect much from it, but if it delivers what the first did, only amending the faults then that's me sold. Saying that the most exciting feature of IGI2 is (so far) the vast explorable landscape, says to me that the rest perhaps isn't working out too well? After all, the vast landscapes were in Project IGI. I've read a couple of previews on the net, and found mostly gave a positive response from the preview code. I really hope they can make this game rewarding for being stealthy, as the first, because of bad AI, was 'Oh heck, I'll just shoot my way through!'. With some good level design and much improved AI, this game may not look like Unreal 2003, but its the gameplay which will/should rock. There are many potential problems for this game, but the original remains one of my best experiences simply because the quality of the gameplay won over the bugs and AI issues. The sequel should fix some of the problems.
There's one problem in IGI 2, the graphics haven't changed significantly, if at all from the first game and it looks like the interface hasn't either. You have to admit the game could be mistaken for IGI at times, they even have some of the same guns. I want to like IGI 2, as I was a big fan of Project IGI, but unless they actually make some visible improvements, I think the game will look outdated even before it's been released. Strictly speaking a sequel should improve on graphics and look slightly different to improve gameplay. The gameplay is far, far more important than graphics, although I must admit I love games with great graphics, but MOHAA for example was also great fun to play. If it wasn't fun then the graphics don't really matter, do they? The graphics only hold you for the first hour or 2 of gaming, once you get over the jaw drop of gun renders and character models, I'm sure most people would drop the game if it lacked compelling gameplay. Yes, graphics are important but the problem is that IGI was rushed out and so IGI2 not only needs to improve on IGI in a new storyline, mission structure example, but make sure people aren't going to laugh at the AI and sloppy way that stealth was handled. The graphics look like they haven't been improved at all, and this will be a major drawback in a critic's eyes. I'm pretty sure the gameplay will be improved, but it would be nice to see it run on the latest Unreal engine or something, wouldn't it?
You could look at it like this, I suppose:
Which critics migh that be? The shallow ones?
Maybe I'm weird but - at least on my GeForce 3 - IGI's graphics are stunning. Who cares how much the graphics are improved, they may not be able to tweak that engine much anyway. And the much better the graphics are, with the massive environments as well, will equal massive system requirments. And the bottom line is, it doesn't matter what a cxertain reviewer or critic thinks or whether he bases part of his score on 'crude' graphics, if the cunning gameplay is still there, most people will be happy. Like me. Its kinda like a huge patch that IGI should have had!
Personally, I don't see how it can fail, at least, not in it's own niche. You may not agree with the 'fixing' thing, but it's surely good news for us fans that there will be Multiplayer, good support from Codemasters, save option, decent AI etc. While I enjoyed IGI, there would be no excuse if Unreal II didn't surpass the scale of IGI2. By the screenshots, some levels look absolutely massive, and I don't think IGI2 will be beating it in that category. Get if you want gritty, tense gameplay, but I'm not expecting anythign awe-inspiring.
I'm a fan of Project IGI, which is why I bought the game the day I got the demo, and why I was one of the first to sign up for the IGI 2 beta-test. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying all this because I don't like the game, it just seems to me that if the graphics haven't changed, all we're going to be getting is a few bug-fixes and a multiplayer mode. I'm pretty sure Innerloop are working hard on the gameplay elements, but from the previews and screenshos, can you see any real innovation? In the screenshots I saw David Jones at a mounted gun, already seen in loads of different FPSs. The first IGI innovated by not having a save feature, among other things, and were all implemented well into the game, but Innerloop aren't setting their sights very high for the sequel - their targets include fixing the old game, and adding in run-of-the-mill features like a multiplayer mode. Perhaps if they were a bit more ambitious, they'd have me a bit more excited about this game.
It doesn't seem very ambitious. They could perhaps make you breaking a coded door more interactive instead of going to 3rd person which I always found a bit odd. How about stealing the code or forcing a guard to tell you then inputting the code yourself, breaking padlocks, or unlocking doors. Whatever, but more interactive. Switching to 3rd person made me think, why aren't I doing it! am I only capable with a gun! Don't you think this would make it more immersive? Again, like logging onto computers and disabling security cameras or opening electronic doors. Would it be too hard to make some kind of intereface screen to perform a simple shutdown? That's what a slight amount of ambition is, but instead IGI2 isn't really offering anything more than the original is it? Wow, multiplayer! That's pretty much expected as the norm by todays standards, but instead it's one of the biggest innovations for IGI2. Save feature, well thats just great...New AI. Yes, it needs to be overhauled. I mean, what are codemasters gonna put on the back of the IGI2 box? It's Project IGI but with Multiplayer, a save feature and new AI? It just seems to me that they have looked at it as a sequel to fix the bugs of the first one and cash in on it as a complete new game. That's really not going to get many people that interested.
Graphics aren't THE most importnat thing, but they are almost joint top, 9 times out of 10 graphics = atmosphere, and that IS important. Can you honestly fool yourself into believeing that if an FPS came out tomorrow using the DOOM 1 engine you'd enjoy it? No matter how good the gameplay. I know I wouldn't, it might hold my attention for a very small ammount of time, a gimmick if you will, but then I'd get bored of it and throw it away.
IGI 2 looks exactly like IGI1 in my opinion, and it was only the landscape part of the graphics that were any good, interiour was shat, models poor and the list goes on. And now a couple years later and its exactly the same. With respawning enemies (the worst cardinal sin in games) and the same drab engine. I liked IGI, i looked forward to it, and finished it. It was hard but I did it. With all the bugs, and terrible AI, not to mention respawning enemies, two years later if its exactly the same game but mapped differently and bugs ironed out it will be worth begger all. Sorry, but in two years I expect a game to have evolved into something a lot better than what it was. A few tweaks, exact same textures and graphics mearly mapped into different locals doesn't not hold my attention.
IGI 2 looks more like IGI 1.5, but I am not complaining, I loved the original apart from the dodgy AI. In fact I am currently replaying it. I am on the level where you have been shot down in the chopper. On my first attempt I was impeccable, I wasn't even shot at I was so stealthy. Then the chopper comes along. I nail the guys by the jeep, hide in the ruins of the house and wait. Ta-da! It magically knows where I am and blows me up! And that f@cking tank was following me about aswell. IGI is brilliant in places, and utterly frustrating at others. Playing the arms-sale level, even though I didn't set off the alarm, the guys still come streaming out of the barracks when I climb up the electricity pilon. Luckily I had a Jackhammer, which quickly sorted them out...
Anyway, I was quite excited from previews about how the Security cameras will work better and that missions won't all be stealth.
There you go, there's my mixed-views on IGI2 (my hands are bloody sore!) and about it being delayed. Opinions?
Thanks for reading,
LF