Random Madness: Micro Doom

This post marks the return of Random Madness here on AAA. I had some inspiration recently.

Windows XP has been around for a long time. I was just reading on Joystiq the other day in an article where it was said that it is in fact ten years old as of last month. After so many years of using Windows XP myself, I recently made the jump to using another version of Windows. On the laptop I acquired recently, I have installed on it Windows Vista. True, it’s not the latest Windows, or the best. Some call it the black sheep in the family.

Anyway, I had read about a feature that was first introduced in Vista that obviously wasn’t in any previous Windows that we know of: User Account Control, or UAC. Basically it ensures that programs run only when you want them to and that any sort of malware that attacks your system doesn’t have full control over what goes on, even if you’re running an administrator account.

Now the gamer in me instantly thought of something else when I read that acronym. The UAC is instrumental in the storyline of the Doom series. It stands for Union Aerospace Corporation. Now while the UAC’s background was only really expanded upon in Doom 3, it existed all ready in the original games in the early-mid 90’s.

Now knowing my inquisitive mind like I do, my thoughts started to wander if there was some sort of link or is it just coincidence? This wouldn’t be the only time there was a possible link between id Software’s Doom and Microsoft. More than a decade and a half ago, Bill Gates promoted Windows 95 by superimposing himself in to Doom and blasting some zombies. Doom was originally programmed to work in MS-DOS when released in 1993, but was still massively popular even years later.

Maybe this UAC feature was an homage of sorts to Doom. Windows UAC tries to limit malware attacks, much like Doom’s UAC tried in all Doom games to date to prevent the demonic invasion from hell – ultimately (get it? The Ultimate Doom?) it failed every time.

But seriously, don’t quote me on this. It’s all rubbish. Interesting to think of, though.

Random Madness: Micro Doom

New Review Published: The Dark Mod

You didn’t really think that verbose series of posts about this mod was the end, did you? Shame. You wanted a review; “ask and ye shall receive”. This will be the last time for the foreseeable future I post about this mod. Promise… until the next version of it comes out, anyway.

After playing Duke Nukem Forever last month, I decided it might be time to play something a little more intelligent – perhaps even subtle. What could be further from in-your-face, all-out action than a Thief title?

But The Dark Mod isn’t a Thief title – not officially. But it’s damn near the closest thing available out there for the time being, next to playing one of the original games or the numerous FMs for them, anyway.

Despite being released originally nearly two years ago in October 2009, I’ve only just played the mod - really a total conversion for Doom 3 – in the past month. This was version 1.06, released on June 19, 2011.

After spending some time getting reacquainted with sneaking through a place instead of shooting everything up, I set about writing a review of it over the past while, and assembling everything on HubPages just recently before publishing it. I’ve now got the piece up if you’d like to have a look – some of you all ready have. ;)

New Review Published: The Dark Mod

The Sims 3 Experiment: One House, Eight of the Biggest Gaming Icons Ever

I’ve played The Sims 3. There, I said it. Guess what else? I still have The Sims 3 on my computer – it’s been there for nearly a whole year.

I recently got back into it, and decided to do something which I dabbled in a while back. That was to create a family, although not related, of the biggest names in gaming, and put them in one house.

As of writing this I all ready have seven.

One is none other than Duke Nukem. Duke has been around for nearly the past two decades, and has had quite a few games under his belt- one of which was no doubt Duke Nukem 3D, his most successful  game to date, which still sells to this day. Duke is currently pursuing the Law Enforcement career in the house, with hoped of becoming a super hero.

The next one is Doom Guy, otherwise known as John “Reaper” Grimm, if you’ve ever watched the atrocious movie based on the series of games. Doom Guy entered the gaming market after Duke Nukem, in 1993 [Duke Nukem was in 1991], and starred in a series of games that revolutionised gaming for years to come, as well as establishing first-person shooters as the popular genre it is today. Currently Doom Guy is in the Military career, hoping to become an astronaut.

Who’s next? Lara Croft. You couldn’t have a house filled with gaming icons without the Tomb Raider. Lara was probably the first real female character that you took control of in game, and had three big hits in the series – the first three games – before hitting a stumbling block, which was most of the entire series for the next several years. But, she came back in Tomb Raider Legend, and has since seen another two great additions to the long running series. Lara is currently pursuing a career in journalism [couldn’t get any adventure clubs or something, although they are probably present in one of the expansions, which I don’t have… yet].

The fourth one should be a give away by now, seeing as this in order of when they actually hit the gaming world. Yes, it’s the G-man. No, not that G-man, but Gordon Freeman from Half-Life. Gordon has never spoken in any of his games, and lacks that personality and attitude [although borrowed] of Duke Nukem. Still, he was the main protagonist in a series which saw FPS titles become more than mindless killing sprees, but added a little logic and puzzle solving in to the mix as well, along with characters that you actually game a damn about… instead of killing everyone. Clad in his usual science laboratory get up, he no doubt works at the science laboratory in the town.

The fifth one came just after Gordon Freeman in Half-Life, and that would be Garrett from Thief. Okay, so this guy is likely the underdog of the entire bunch. He’s been in three or four titles over the past dozen or so years [four if you count Thief Gold, five if you count Thief II Gold, which didn’t actually ever see the light of day], and is set to star in a true sequel in the series soon, Thief IV… or THI4F… or is it ThIVes? Anyway, Garret and the Thief series brought about a new genre in gaming, and that was the first person sneaker. Thief probably wasn’t the first game to do this, as Metal Gear had some of that sneaking stuff in it too, but Thief helped popularise it, and many games to this day, especially Splinter Cell and the likes, owe their gratitude to the series. No doubt, Garrett is in the Criminal career path, and likes to steal, or “mooch” off of other Sims.

The sixth one? There was a hint in the above paragraph. It’s Snake. Snake? Snake?! SNAAAKKKEE! Yes, Solid Snake from Metal Gear fame, with probably one of his best titles in Metal Gear Solid, of 1999. Solid carried on the appeal of the stealthy approach in games, sort of like Thief, but in a modern, militaristic universe. He has had numerous games since then over the past decade, some of which he didn’t even really star in, in a sense. Like Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater, or MGS 3 for short, which saw Naked Snake take the main role. Snake is also in the military career, and also has natural cooking and gardening abilities, which he picked up from his dad, Naked Snake, or Big Boss.

Number 7 would be a character who also cropped up in the 90’s: SHODAN. She’s appeared in two games in the System Shock series, namely System Shock and the sequel, System Shock 2. She’s been voted as one of the best villains to appear in a game, and one of the greatest all-round characters too. She even has the greyish-blue skin, complete with blue and green hair just like in the games and has an evil personality comparable to the real rogue AI.

In the game, Shodan is climbing up the rungs of the political career, seeing as she eventually wants to become the leader of the free world, or the neighbourhood at the very least. And she’s going to make people suffer and have fun while she’s doing it too.

Who will be number eight? Who do you think? Maybe we should have a vote, and you can leave your thoughts in the comments. So many choices, and you can only have eight in a household unfortunately. I guess I’ll be starting new houses with other characters who didn’t make this list.

Candidates who are on my list to make the eighth member of the household include: Agent 47 from Hitman, B.J. Blazkowicz from Wolfenstein, and some others.

The Sims 3 Experiment: One House, Eight of the Biggest Gaming Icons Ever

Keen Dreams: The Doom Effect

              You wouldn’t see a pretty boy like Shepard taking on the Cyberdemon

I usually note down some of the dreams I have, and keep the ones that are more original or intriguing to myself for use in one of my fiction efforts. Then you get the ones that are more clichéd and have been done to death. The events in this dream probably fall into this category.

It all started with me being the commander on a tank, possibly the Mako, rolling down streets and through buildings, taking out enemy troops. As we reached the crossroads of a section in the neighbourhood however, we were overwhelmed by soldiers who were taking cover behind the bushes, and they flanked us, taking out the vehicle – probably with some heavy weaponry.

Then we were led alongside the road, past all the prisoners of war that had been captured by the enemy, as they sat looking miserable on the grassy banks between the trees. The crew of the tank and I walked along this rode which was lined with ropes hanging from the trees – probably to execute those were unlucky enough to have been caught; to set an example.

But as we crossed the field, through the woods, and left the POWs behind, we came upon a cliff that had a cove of sorts within. We all jumped in to the water below and went inside. Ahead there was a portal of sorts.

We foolishly entered in to it and were swept off to another dimension where we saw the most horrific events unfolding. People being tortured, victimized, and impish creatures playing devilish pranks on unsuspecting inhabitants.

We’d stumbled into a hell of sorts. Not just a hell; the Hell.

Some of the group were captured, while the rest of us ran as fast as we could, trying to find a way out of this place. An undead creature of some sort got a hold of me and pulled me back as I tried to wrestle free from his clutches. Then it went black.

I woke up and I was back in the water again. Somehow what was left of the group had managed to escape and I assumed I had been rescued and was now back in the cove, on the other side of the portal this time, where we first entered.

I was treading water and trying to make my way to a ladder of sorts that was hanging from the cliff. I started to climb my way up, struggling all the while, only to reach the top, and see the ladder start to slip, and come loose. I fell back in the water, and it was a frantic, terrified effort to get to another ladder that was on the cliffside further down. I climbed up and this time I reached the top. We were safe – for now.

There was some machinery and equipment lying around in the cove, and it looked as though a small base of operations had been established there. There was a map* on a screen which clearly had the word “Contra” written on it and a diagram showing the portal. But we knew that in whatever language this was, it might as well have been a synonym for Hell. We knew firsthand because we’d seen the other side.

We’d gone in the @sshole of Hell, and come back out again… somehow alive.

Footnotes

* The map was similar to that of the Mass Effect map used in the game to travel to different planets and so on.

The Keen Dreams series is a AAA original, and is all about video games in dreams, and dreams in video games… and dream which involve stuff about video games.

Keen Dreams: The Doom Effect

My Time as a Video Game Character: Doomguy

There were likely a few times in my life as a young boy were I tried to dress up and imitate a character in a video game – something which the initiated called Cosplay – which seems to be big not only in America, but Japan as well. It’s huge there, from what I’ve seen.

There was a time years ago when I was in school and they class project was to dress up as either a spaceman or an alien of sorts. I decided I wanted not only to be a space man – but a space marine.

I’d just gotten my new computer that year: a Pentium 100 MHz, and on it I had the shareware version of Doom with the famous episode named “Knee Deep in the Dead”.

This inspired me to dig in the cupboards and see what I could get to make myself look the part. So I managed to get a fishbowl. You’ve seen pictures of people or adverts on TV [I have], where people put a fishbowl on their head and pretend they’re in space. I did that. What did I do for a gun? I could have had a bb gun, or a water pistol; something even mildly realistic. But what did I do? I used a snorkel.

So there I was running up and down the driveway with my getup on, getting a headache because of a mix of the sun beating down on my head, the hyperactivity of a child, and the fact that I probably wasn’t getting enough oxygen with that bloody bowl on my head.

I went to school the next day and the teacher just laughed at my “costume”, which probably looked nothing like Doomguy at all. But kids have something called an imagination, and so we think we look the part.

We had to line up outside the classroom – which was a bungalow, seeing as the school was still expanding at the time – to get ready to head in to the neighbouring class to show off our outfits. All I remember before going in was that some idiot clubbed me over the head with something, intentionally or by accident I’m not sure, which not only gave me another headache, but cracked my helmet as well.

There I was – a space marine with a hole in my head gear. At least I could finally get some oxygen. On Phobos, Deimos, or Mars I’d be dead though.

My Time as a Video Game Character: Doomguy

The Dark Mod Version 1.02 up for Download

By now you’ve surely heard of The Dark Mod: a Thief-inspired mod for Doom 3. Recently another update for the mod was released, bringing it up to version 1.02 now. What’s in this new update: new textures, models, AI fixes as well as some new vocals for the guards and so on.

The download weighs in at 500 MB. There’s a mew trailer to show off some of the new features as well.

There’s also some new Fan Missions [FMs] that have been released, including most recently “Alchemist”, just the other day.

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Source: The Dark Mod [via Doom world]

The Dark Mod Version 1.02 up for Download

Trent Reznor not Working on Doom 4

It’s a long way off until Doom 4 will ever see the light of day, seeing as Rage – the title that id is currently working on – will only arrive next year as it is.

Still, there were those who probably wondered whether Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails fame would be working on Doom 4 as far as sound and music goes.

The answer it turns out, is “No”. Apparently he said that he doesn’t have the time to work on the game.

"I haven't been contacted by them and find it unlikely that I would have time at this point."

Trent previously worked on the music in Quake, and also did some work on Doom 3 that didn’t even make it into the final version of the game.

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Source: Trent Reznor Unlikely to be Involved with Doom 4 [1UP]

Trent Reznor not Working on Doom 4

Doom II: Hell on Earth Coming to Xbox Live Tomorrow

The old id classic, Doom II: Hell on Earth, or Doom 2 for short, has been ported by Nerve Software and will end up on Xbox Live tomorrow, the 26th of May – joining its predecessor, Doom.

This Xbox 360 version of Doom II will have all the levels from the original, as well as a new episode made by Nerve.

The game was leaked onto XBLA in Japan earlier on in the week. The price is said to be set at 800 Microsoft Points.

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Sources:

This week on arcade: Voodoo Dice [Major Nelson]

XBLA: DOOM II XBLA Available Right Now… In Japan [GamerBytes]

Doom II: Hell on Earth Coming to Xbox Live Tomorrow

AAA – Now Playing: Doom 64

Well, actually it’s the TC for the PC called Absolution. It’s years old now, and I haven’t played it for a long time. I didn’t get around to finishing it either.

It’s not considered apart of the main Doom series, or even canon, by some; it lacks some of the demons from Doom and Doom II, and the existing ones had a makeover. And there are other things that make it feel like it isn’t really Doom. It does feel more like a Quake game, now that some people mention it. But it’s still good, and still worth a try.

One of these days I also want to try out Doom 64 EX, which is a “more accurate” direct port of the game, rather than a TC like Absolution is, for Doomsday, or JDoom, I believe.

I remember seeing Doom 64 for the first time when I was a child, and I read about it in an issue of some magazine. I can’t even recall the name. But there was a massive preview of it with plenty of screenshots and so on. I wanted it so badly. Who knew that it would be ten years later after that, in 2007, that I actually got around to playing it. I downloaded the TC, the maps, the soundtrack pack, and after that I think I just lost interest. Weird.

Now after having played through Doom 3 again, I thought: why not? So I got everything set up again just this week and started it up.

AAA – Now Playing: Doom 64

The Most Irritating Demons of Doom of all Time [List]

Seeing as I’m all about Doom nowadays, as I’m playing Doom 3 again and loving it, I thought about making this list. In fact, I remember talking about it in another post, when I mentioned that Imps are one of the most irritating creatures in the entire Doom universe, irrespective of which game.

Well, here I have decided to post a list, in no particular order, of the most irritating demons of all time, in all of the Doom series. I thought it was also quite appropriate as the 15th anniversary of The Ultimate Doom was just the other day.

                                                      

Imp

Imp in Doom 1 and 2, Doom 64, and in Doom 3

Probably one of the only demons on the list to make it into practically every Doom game there ever was. They are the basic demonic creature that crops up everywhere throughout the series. Think of them as Hell’s ground infantry. These horny, thorny buggers can scratch the hell out of you up close, and also like to hurl fireballs at you for ranged combat.

This essentially makes them the smaller relative of the Hell Knight or the Baron of Hell, who also like to throw balls of plasma or fire at you. But those dudes are big and scary, and deserve respect.

In Doom 3, they become even more cunning and annoying, as they can crawl on walls and ceilings, and pounce on you as you open doors and so on, going right for the face. And not to mention that in both Doom 64 and Doom 3 you also get Nightmare Imps, which are either a different colour or nearly invisible, depending on the game. Perhaps nothing is more satisfying than putting an Imp down and sending it back to hell where it came from.

Trite

Trite in Doom 3

These are actually spiders, but are massive compared in size to the garden variety around your house. They have an upside down head mounted on to their thorax, and in addition to looking rather creepy, they also have a nasty bite. This was all to overcome the name I guess, seeing as Trite means shite – as in unoriginal. And as would be expected with spiders, they can jump at you too. They also often tend to attack in groups, crawling out from vents and so on. If they surround you, it can be a one way ticket to hell.

You also get Ticks, which are like Trites, except they explode once they get close enough – as in right up your leg.

But still, it could be worse, seeing as these Trites essentially replace the Arachnotrons from Doom II and Doom 64. And those were cybronic spiders with plasmaguns, as well as big brains… and cold blue eyes that turned red when they cut you down with rapid fire. And then there’s the Spider Mastermind…

Cacodemon

Cacodemon in Doom 1 and 2, Doom 64, and in Doom 3

These big ugly looking sons of guns have also been in every Doom game ever, just like the Imps above, although they’ve changed form in almost every incarnation, particularly in Doom 64.

They’re big, red, one-eyed, and smile a lot as they hurk up lightning balls at you. Not only this but they can fly too, making hitting them even with rockets a bit tiresome as you run out of ammo.

When they die however, it’s quite a sight, as it looks just like a big heap of spaghetti and meatballs. Dibs on that delicious eye!

Arch-Vile

 

Arch-Vile in Doom 2, and in Doom 3

These fellas weren’t in the original Doom, and thank god, or whoever, because they can be hell to deal with. They made their debut in Doom II: Hell on Earth, and you quickly learn to fear them. In a combat scenario, they will not only conjure up a firewall which dishes out massive amounts of damage as it rushes towards you and often sends you flying up in the air, but also have a nasty habit of resurrecting their fallen demonic brethren that you’ve wasted.

Make sure to kill them first before the other demons, otherwise things can get out of hand.

The Arch-Vile was mercifully left out of Doom 64 because of the developer’s penchant for creating nightmare versions of Imps and Pinkys as well as other demons; claiming that there wasn’t enough space for Archie on the cartridge. But we know that’s a lie. Archie was just too tough, scary, and annoying to put him in the game.

He did end up in Doom 3 though.

Cherub

Cherub in Doom 3

These little bastards only ever cropped up in Doom 3, but I wish they hadn’t sometimes. They start to pop up further into the game, and make their first appearance about the same time that you battle the Mancubi [Mancubus x 3].

The look like a cross between a baby and a wasp, mixed with a bit of crab, and maybe a moth too.

You can usually tell when they’re around because of the baby noises they make, as they cry out “Mama!” They’re fine to shoot from afar, but let them get close enough, and they’ll flutter about with their little wings while they tear at you with their rather sharp claws. And if a gang of them swarm you, then you’re in a lot of trouble.

Former Commando/Heavy Weapon Guy

 

Former Commando in Doom 2, and in Doom 3 [2 types]

The commando turned up in Doom II as a fat, bearded black man [from what I could tell in the days of those grainy sprites], who packed a big gun… ahem, a chain gun, that is. That was all fine and well, but after taking a hiatus in Doom 64, he came back in Doom 3 with a vengeance, and a lighter complexion. and this time, instead of just carrying a chain gun, Commandos also came in the tentacle variety – and these are the irritating ones as far as I’m concerned.

They have a long tentacle which acts as a whip, which can bitch slap you from ten metres away, and once they get up close, they will unleash a flurry of kicks, punches and shoves and so on, which makes them a major pain. Also, they happen to be some of the ugliest creatures you will come across in the game, with some major dental problems, and unnaturally asymmetrical pectoral muscles. Oh, and when they catch sight of you, they don’t just walk up to you like other zombified humans – they shout “Die!” and run at you full speed. Terrifying – especially when you’ve only got your flashlight in hand.

Lost Soul

Lost Soul in Doom 1 and 2, Doom 64, Doom 3, and Doom 3: RoE’s Forgotten One

These little flying, screaming, flaming skulls have been in practically every Doom game, except perhaps for Doom 3 [more on that later]. They fly about and will dash at you out of nowhere and take a big chunk out of your face. They also happen to scream and are on fire – could be a relation there somewhere, like cause and effect.

Now, why I say they didn’t really make it into Doom 3 is this: they technically didn’t, because the Lost Soul in Doom 3 wasn’t really the same as the original designs in games before it. You might have noticed that they lacked the horns that the Lost Soul typically has. They did have bloody sharp looking teeth to make up for it though. It was in Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil – the expansion – that the Forgotten One came along and replaced the Doom 3 Lost Soul as the true Lost Soul… if that makes sense.

Revenant

Revenant in Doom 2, and in Doom 3

Revenants, just like the Commando and the Arch-Vile, only appeared in Doom 2 and Doom 3, as they were all cut out of Doom 64, and didn’t appear in Doom 1.

These revenants look like bony supermodels with their long legs and non existent skin, and the weird gait, but they pack more of a punch than you’d think – literally. Get too close, and they will knock you down with a big fist full of bone. And if that’s not enough, then take into account what really put them on the list: their annoying habit of launching missiles at you from shoulder-mounted rocket launchers that resemble water wings. And those missiles are homing, or heat seeking missiles, and will follow you if you try to run or dodge them.

Spectre

Spectre in Doom 1 and 2, Doom 64, and Doom 3

You get the original Pinky Demons in Doom, and they’re fine. Not too hard to dispatch, and not too bright either. It’s the Spectres that you need to watch out for, and have been in basically every Doom game.

They look similar, and sound similar to the Pinky, but, like the name, they are nearly invisible, and can blend in with the fuzzy looking environments [especially in the first Doom games], camouflaging themselves in with walls and the background. The only real thing to do is blast them with the auto aiming rockets of yours.

If they get up close, they’ll start biting you, and it can be hard to actually even see the big wide gaping mouth chomping on your shoulder, as ridiculous as it sounds. But you will feel it.

Pain Elemental

Pain Elemental in Doom 2, and Doom 64

This is the irritating cousin of the irritating Cacodemon. But if you thought Cacface was annoying, then prepare to meet this fellow. He won’t attack you directly, but he likes to burp Lost Souls that will come out and attack you for him. That’s both rude and cowardly. And even in death, he will still crap out a couple of the things that will come after you.

In Doom 64 he had a bit of a makeover, as he tried to look more like his cousin, and grew a long mane. He also has two new arms that resemble mouths, and out of these he shoots those lost souls, but his time twice as many.

He wasn’t invited to the party in Doom 3 thank goodness, as he has foul table manners.

- So that’s it. The top ten most irritating demons in Doom - in no particular order, because that would have taken longer. But if you want, you can list them the way you want in the comments. You can of course add other demons that you feel would be on your list, that aren’t on this one, like the Hell Knight or Baron of Hell, because they are two of my all time favourites.

Here’s the shortlist just for reference:

Imp
Trite
Cacodemon
Arch-Vile
Cherub
Former Commando/Heavy Weapon Guy
Lost Soul
Revenant
Spectre
Pain Elemental

THE END

The Most Irritating Demons of Doom of all Time [List]

Working on Another Article: Most Irritating Demons in Doom

Seeing as I’m all about Doom nowadays, as I’m playing Doom 3 again and loving it, I thought about making this list. In fact, I remember talking about it in another post, when I mentioned that Imps are one of the most irritating creatures in the entire Doom universe, irrespective of which game.

That’s why I’ve been a bit slow on posts recently seeing as I’m working on this article, or list. At the moment, I’ve got the rough ready, and just adding some pictures and beautifying it a bit. I should have it published by Friday this week.

Working on Another Article: Most Irritating Demons in Doom

AAA - Now Playing: Doom 3

True to my word, like I said the other day, I ended up installing Doom 3 again on my PC. I fished out the “Best of” DVD box that I bought for Christmas years ago, which saves me having to patch the game endlessly. I also installed a few mods, but I don’t know how many of them are actually working since at least on of them is a standalone one, not meant to be played with others.

But I am trying out AMS, or Allied Squad Marines, a mod which enticed me into playing the game again in the first place. Those dudes, like the one in the picture above, aren’t so smart it turns out, and will often not follow you like they should, or get stuck in walls, or fail to move out the way in a critical moment and you end up getting killed by a trite [spider thing], or they end up killing you by shooting you in the back, but anyway… fun.

When I first played the game years ago, brand new off the shelf, my system could only run it at medium in terms of graphical beauty. Now I can play the thing at ultra quality. That’s what I like about playing the classics. The characters are still bloody ugly though.

AAA - Now Playing: Doom 3

Video Game Character Lookalikes: Dr. Betruger [Doom 3]

This might seem obvious to some of you, but it’s been niggling at me for years now. I have to say it. Dr. Betruger from Doom 3 not only looks like this man, but he sounds quite similar to him too, even though he was voiced by Philip L. Clarke.

Who am I talking about? Sir Antony Hopkins. The Welsh actor whose most famous role is likely that of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, or “Hannibal the Cannibal” in films such as Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, and Hannibal.

     

                           Dr. Malcolm Betruger and Dr. Hannibal Lecter

Video Game Character Lookalikes: Dr. Betruger [Doom 3]

Rage gets a Release Window, New Screenshots, Similar to Borderlands?

On this day: 5 May 2010 - May Day; 5 May 1992 – Wolfenstein 3D

All has been quite on the subject of Rage – id Software’s first real developed game since Doom 3, and the first original IP since Quake.

But some news hit recently about the post-apocalyptic themed title, and it was concerning a release date.

Bethesda, the publisher says that the game should be out next year. In other words, 2011. For a while there we were expecting it to come this year. All the versions of the game – PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 – will be released simultaneously.

Tim Willits of id Software gave reasons why the title would not see 2010:

“Because we haven’t even hit alpha on this thing yet. But we’re working very hard and we’re getting close to that. But it’s important that we get this right. There’s nothing worse than pushing something out before it’s ready.

And the great thing about Bethesda and Zenimax is the executive management has the faith in us to give us the resource that we need to do the right game. Because, trust me, it would be horrible if we were to release it and it was bad.

As you saw, it’s running well on the 360. There are some graphical things that John’s working through, that he’ll get fixed. But the engine’s pretty solid.”

There was also talk about the fact – and I’ve thought this for some time – that Rage looks quite similar to Borderlands. I also thought Fallout 3 as well, seeing as some claim that’s the game that clinched the deal between id Software and Bethesda’s parent company, ZeniMax, last year.

But the Design Director on the game, Matt Hooper, stepped in to give his take:

"I can see fans drawing comparisons -- and people naturally want to draw parallels between existing things -- but no, we're not just making another 'Doom' here. It's something new for us."

Rage is not a procedural landscape with heavy RPG elements and a billion weapons. It's a very crafted, focused, action shooter with a level of attention to detail that's just off the charts."

We knew we wanted to have vehicles, and that we could make a kick-ass shooter, so the two came together in a very natural way for the team."

We've got a finely crafted weapons, really creative engineering items like deployable turrets and remote controlled bombs. It's all about creating a rich universe to use the array of weapons and options at the player's disposal."

It's not a bad thing that people draw comparisons. I just hope that people get more information and see demos and really realize what makes Rage so unique. Even if this post-apocalyptic wasteland seems familiar at first."

In addition to all this, there’ve been some new screenshots released for the game as well.

 

By the way, if you local SA gamers, or those in the UK even, happen to watch GameFace on Tuesdays, last night you would have heard from Julia Hardy that they will doing a feature on the game sometime soon.

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Sources:

RAGE Gets Release Window, New Screenshots [Shacknews]
Rage delayed until 2011, confirms id Software [VG247]
'Rage' Developer On 'Borderlands' Similarities [multiplayerblog.mtv.com]

Rage gets a Release Window, New Screenshots, Similar to Borderlands?