Pop the new game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic into the Xbox console and what unfolds amounts to the best Star Wars movie since 1980's The Empire Strikes Back.
Actually, Knights (also known as KOTOR among the cognoscenti) in many ways is better than a movie. Consider that it is, after all, interactive, with the player getting to take the place of Mark Hamill or Natalie Portman as star of the show.
The 3-D graphics make the experience immersive. A gripping story line shapes itself in response to a wide range of player choices -- everything from gender to how you conduct conversations. The ultimate question you face is an intensely moral one -- do you align yourself with the Light or Dark Side of the Force?
KOTOR, also due for the PC in November, is currently drawing more buzz than any title in game land. Industry insiders agree that it is emblematic of the dawning of a golden age of gaming.
Yes, the game business is increasingly reliant on movie licenses and sequels. It is less willing to take big risks, particularly in themes or audiences. But that risk aversion reflects an industry that largely is making fewer, bigger titles with absorbing, often branching narratives, well-written dialogue and much larger budgets -- as much as $10 million or more -- for audiences of growing maturity and sophistication.
Combine that with the increasing technological proficiency of the current set of gaming consoles and more capable PCs, and what players are getting are games that technically and artistically are starting to realize the true power of an industry Holy Grail -- the interactive movie.
"There's a slow movement toward more adult games that aren't risqué, but that do offer more interesting content for people who are older," said Mike Gallo, LucasArts producer for KOTOR, which was developed by BioWare.
"Part of it is because there's a generation of gamers who have grown up with these systems and want more adult experiences," Gallo said. "They want more realistic stories and more believable characters, instead of just having the Marios and Sonics of the world."
Industry insiders don't shy away from crediting Rockstar Games with starting many of the trends that are now entering the industry's mainstream, resulting in titles such as KOTOR and other eagerly awaited games due out later this year.
Rockstar emphasizes grittier, more mature themes, open-ended or branching story lines, and varied styles of game play. The company was much maligned for introducing intensely violent titles like Grand Theft Auto III -- in which the antihero beats up virtual hookers to get cash. But the realism of the games resonated with its audience, and pushed others in the industry to concentrate its creative and technical talents on more mature themes.
Electronic Arts, the biggest game publisher, originated another trend by deciding in the past few years to focus on making fewer, better games with larger budgets. The company also started to diversify away from its sports-game business mainly through titles based on licensed movies such as Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings and James Bond.
Nick Earl, head of Electronic Arts' Redwood Shores studio in the San Francisco Bay Area, touted three forthcoming games that, he said, bring all of these trends together. The new titles include James Bond, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Medal of Honor: Rising Sun.
Take this year's Lord of the Rings entry, due out in November in advance of the movie trilogy's final installment. Gamers will be able to play any of eight different characters -- including hobbits Frodo and Sam, the wizard Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli the dwarf and others. The styles of play have been widened from button-mashing hack-and-slash to include elements of stealth, particularly for characters like Frodo, Earl said.
Game environments offer more opportunities for exploration. Doors that last year were "painted on" this year open into rooms through which players can wander. Environments can be manipulated; for instance, cutting a rope can bring a hanging object down on enemies' heads.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,59964,00.html
Actually, Knights (also known as KOTOR among the cognoscenti) in many ways is better than a movie. Consider that it is, after all, interactive, with the player getting to take the place of Mark Hamill or Natalie Portman as star of the show.
The 3-D graphics make the experience immersive. A gripping story line shapes itself in response to a wide range of player choices -- everything from gender to how you conduct conversations. The ultimate question you face is an intensely moral one -- do you align yourself with the Light or Dark Side of the Force?
KOTOR, also due for the PC in November, is currently drawing more buzz than any title in game land. Industry insiders agree that it is emblematic of the dawning of a golden age of gaming.
Yes, the game business is increasingly reliant on movie licenses and sequels. It is less willing to take big risks, particularly in themes or audiences. But that risk aversion reflects an industry that largely is making fewer, bigger titles with absorbing, often branching narratives, well-written dialogue and much larger budgets -- as much as $10 million or more -- for audiences of growing maturity and sophistication.
Combine that with the increasing technological proficiency of the current set of gaming consoles and more capable PCs, and what players are getting are games that technically and artistically are starting to realize the true power of an industry Holy Grail -- the interactive movie.
"There's a slow movement toward more adult games that aren't risqué, but that do offer more interesting content for people who are older," said Mike Gallo, LucasArts producer for KOTOR, which was developed by BioWare.
"Part of it is because there's a generation of gamers who have grown up with these systems and want more adult experiences," Gallo said. "They want more realistic stories and more believable characters, instead of just having the Marios and Sonics of the world."
Industry insiders don't shy away from crediting Rockstar Games with starting many of the trends that are now entering the industry's mainstream, resulting in titles such as KOTOR and other eagerly awaited games due out later this year.
Rockstar emphasizes grittier, more mature themes, open-ended or branching story lines, and varied styles of game play. The company was much maligned for introducing intensely violent titles like Grand Theft Auto III -- in which the antihero beats up virtual hookers to get cash. But the realism of the games resonated with its audience, and pushed others in the industry to concentrate its creative and technical talents on more mature themes.
Electronic Arts, the biggest game publisher, originated another trend by deciding in the past few years to focus on making fewer, better games with larger budgets. The company also started to diversify away from its sports-game business mainly through titles based on licensed movies such as Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings and James Bond.
Nick Earl, head of Electronic Arts' Redwood Shores studio in the San Francisco Bay Area, touted three forthcoming games that, he said, bring all of these trends together. The new titles include James Bond, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Medal of Honor: Rising Sun.
Take this year's Lord of the Rings entry, due out in November in advance of the movie trilogy's final installment. Gamers will be able to play any of eight different characters -- including hobbits Frodo and Sam, the wizard Gandalf, Aragorn, Gimli the dwarf and others. The styles of play have been widened from button-mashing hack-and-slash to include elements of stealth, particularly for characters like Frodo, Earl said.
Game environments offer more opportunities for exploration. Doors that last year were "painted on" this year open into rooms through which players can wander. Environments can be manipulated; for instance, cutting a rope can bring a hanging object down on enemies' heads.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,59964,00.html