'designer ol' the
4 treating it seriously as a movie
with all the lead actors attending military training camp. Rosamund Pike. who plays the Mars research station doctor and genetic specialist. actually attended an autopsy in Prague as part of her prep for the role. 'l'his is no cheap cash—in: money. thought and time were put into this production.
This really was sy'llthitlsis. ‘\\'e weren‘t looking at something necessarily to he exactly the type ol story we llad.‘ says 'l‘odd llollenshead. (‘li() at Id Software. But it is this change in story that has got the most lilztls l‘l‘tllll liatts on message hoards such as the Internet Moyie Database. most asking where is llcll‘.’ Why has it
"been switched to a cliche-like
genetic mutation'.’ llollenshead sees it t’rom a dillerent angle: ‘l'irom our standpoint. w e‘re a company that makes yideogames and we don‘t really want to he moy‘iemakers. I tell our input was welcome and I know it made a dil'l'erence in ultimately what the lilm was about.”
The sets and Iiitittslct' designs were lil'tcd directly l'rom the game. with the creatures brought to We hy the peerless Stan Winston Studios ('li'rmi/mlur. .'l/l(’ll.\. .lurusyit‘ l’ur/x). ‘I went oyer to Visit the set in Prague with lead game. 'l'im \\'illets.' explains llollenshead. ’and we were literally taken ahack hecause ey'erything. eyen down to the signs beside the doors and the
PLAY
graphics on the computer monitors that are in the moy'ie. are right down to detail l'rom the game. When you play' the game and then go see the moy'ie you'll see direct connections between the two.~
It‘s the attention to detail and respect lor the world of Doom that really sets this movie apart. 'l‘hen ol‘ course there is the l‘l’S scene towards the end ol‘ the l’ilm. Directly lilting the point of View perspectiy'e l'rom the gatnc. it is perhaps the best game—to-l'ilm sequence yet committed to celluloid. perl’ectly capturing the tension players experience when the lights are down and Doom is running.
With the expansion in gaming technology and the imminent arriyal ol' the next generation consoles. eyer more complex games are possihle leaturing intriguing. intelligent stories. It’s a trend that can only increase with cy'erything l'rom (‘mqy‘ Tax! to Ila/o both in deyelopment. Whether Dun/H will appease gamers as well as moxie goers
remains to he seen. but it's by tar
the most laithlul adaptation to hit the big screen yet.
General release from 2 Dec. See review, page 49. Doom 3 (Activision) is available for PC and Xbox from all good electronics retailers. Henry Northmore travelled to London courtesy of GNER. For tickets and information call 08457 225 225 or log onto www.gner.co.uk.
Some have criticised the game's horror movie cliches, such as this Germanic enemy
Review
iiAntJW/ynt 60
There’s a moment in Ian Partridge when the bumbling ex-presenter is at a meeting with a BBC executive and misremembers the exec’s motto. ‘Revolution not evolution!’ proclaims Partridge. ‘Actually,’ says the BBC suit, ‘it’s evolution not revolution.’ ‘Well, that’s me!’ confirms Partridge. ‘Because I e-volve but I don’t, em, re . . . volve.’
What’s this got to do with the biggest console release of the year, the XBox 360? Well, Microsoft would have us believe that the 360 is the next step along gaming’s developmental path. Where is this path leading? Who knows? That is not what evolution is about. It is only about change, with the best changes surviving. Which means the online service XBox Live must be doing very well indeed.
It’s back, bigger and better than ever, : promising much more downloadable content, contests, characters and a more vibrant community. Incremental improvements like the new online reputation system, where fellow gamers can rate how enjoyable you are to play with, could end up having a massive effect. No more hoping that you can '_ i ’ avoid irritating teenagers. New J
segregated areas for children, families, ) L
adults etc will also help. Mind you, if you have no access to broadband, you can still get online extras through special 360 kiosks.
The interface between you and your console has also evolved. The controller is wireless. So no more yanking the lead out in a moment of frenzied excitement. And everything from accessing friends’ lists during play to switching the 360 on and off can be controlled through the joypad. They’re simple, almost obvious, additions that Microsoft hope will become the handheld hub of your gaming life.
As ever, the processors are state-of—the-art and the graphics card and the Hi-Definition capabilities and 5.1 sound and the USB ports and . . . well, the technological achievements and attractions go on. But ultimately it is how friendly, how simple the 360 is that will determine its success. Oh, and the games, of course.
For launch there is the usual bunch of EC Sports titles and a few games that can be found on other systems. But the few to look out for are Project Gotham Racing 3, Kameo and Quake 4. PGR3 in particular looks sweet. The previous titles balanced excitement and realism beautifully, and with the enhanced graphical capabilities of the 360, this is threatening to be a real cracker. The artistic breadth of Kameo, the sheer stylistic verve with which developer Rare has crafted this action adventure, could make this the jaw- dropper - the one you play to show off to your mates.
So, lots of new things. Customisable facades. Hard drive or no hard drive. MP3/movie players. Photo storage. Some of these advances will never be used. Others will set the standard for those that follow. But that is evolution. As for revolution? That’s Nintendo’s new machine isn’t it? A-ha! (lain Davidson)
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