Almost Live from the ECTS

By Special JA Correspondent
Penelope Picklebrine

ECTS is the most
subdued of the three international computer and electronics trade shows. There
is actually very little that is revealed as new as most developers have already
unveiled their mystery products earlier in the year. A lot of the smaller developers
opted to forego this last major show of the year to concentrate instead on development.

London’s Olympia Center is pretty much in an isolated area, surrounded
by industrial outfits and flagged by London’s famous underground tube station,
which really is the only way to get around London.

The very first thing
that I noticed when I entered the convention center was the noise, or lack thereof.
Other than a few loud booths, ECTS is not a loud show like E3. Instead, it is
a very relaxed atmosphere where one isn’t hurried (or shoved) to move along but
invited to personal demonstrations; this could be due to the limited admission
of either trade or press people only. It also seems that the more often I go to
these trade shows, the smaller they become, as my nodding acquaintances grow.

Most
booths were manned by the developers themselves, who exuded a genuine devotion
and love for their creations. The most notable was Headfirst Productions, who
answered all my questions about Simon
3D and gave me a marvelous demonstration of the game. Not having been
too keen about the project in the past, I can say in all honesty, the game blew
me away! The movement, the oh so beautiful eye candy in glorious 3D, the length
of gameplay (approximately 80 hours, unheard of in an adventure game), the amusing
anecdotes, etc. I left vowing to get a copy as soon as it is available.

The
notable second developer, who was quietly demonstrating the new and upcoming Cryo
action/adventure Jekyll &
Hyde, was a very charming and talented Frenchman called Guillaume. Guillaume
is one of the developers from In
Utero, a development company well worth watching. Their first game,
Odyssey, is due to hit North American shores this fall (published
by DreamCatcher).
Jekyll & Hyde has the same easy interface as Odyssey but is
played in a somewhat Tomb Raider-esque style, i.e., moving crates, running,
jumping, fighting (which is somewhat unusual), etc. You play both characters,
the unusual aspect being that when you need brute force you must change Dr. Jekyll
into the monstrous Mr. Hyde. If the developers show the same comedic mischief
in Jekyll & Hyde as they did with Odyssey, it will definitely
be another winner.

While I was at the Cryo booth, I was able to keyboard
and mouse around with full versions of Gift and Arthur’s Knights. After
trying unsuccessfully for several minutes to get the little Gift sprite to jump
across to a platform without going splat, I gave up and later watched the Cryo
employees having the same difficulty with the interface. The game is very colorful
and has potential but may be better served as a console game.

Arthur’s
Knights, on the other hand, was everything that the adventurer’s soul could
wish for. Cryo seems to be evolving quite nicely on the 3D front. Seeing beyond
the crashes (this was an early beta), the 3D world of Arthur’s Knights is
quite beautiful and alive. The physics of the game as you ride your horse around
are quite amazing and realistic. Here’s another game I can’t wait for.

Around
the corner, Index + had two TVs set up to run trailers on their upcoming games.
The Insider, running on the big screen, appears to be a very ambitious
project. It looks like a cross between the Batman style of cartoon and
cinematic console games such as Parasite Eve. With superb cut-scenes, an
exciting story and fast paced action elements, here is another one to watch for
approximately second or third quarter 2001.

The other Index + games to drool
over are Dracula
the Last Sanctuary, which is the sequel to Resurrection
(promised to be approximately double to three times the length of the original),
and Necronomicon, a gorgeous-looking horror game that was inspired by H.P.
Lovecraft. Just makes me tingle in anticipation.

Right beside Index +, in
a tiny booth, nestled some of the people from Arxel Tribe. Here, there were no
computers running demos or trailers, but I managed to pick up a press kit on the
newest two-part game called
The Legend of the Prophet and the Assassin. Both games are being
developed simultaneously so there is no fear here of dropping the ball on an unfinished
project. This game is billed as an action/adventure, but little has been seen
on it except for a wonderful trailer available for download.

Not having
an ordered existence, I cannot boast of a methodical approach to examining the
show and its offerings. Instead, I plowed through the show haphazardly hoping
to stumble on something that interested me. Using this method, I stumbled upon
a closed-room showing of Baldur’s Gate II, which on the big screen was
a real treat. I also came across a little-known French company called Montparnasse
showing a historical adventure called Rome. This title looks quite excellent
and is definitely worth a second look. Hopefully they will find a North American
publisher so we can buy it in North America.

Being a bit of a pioneer, I
thought I would see what all the crowding was about at the Playstation 2 booth.
Once inside a rather large foyer, they had an usher blocking an entrance into
the games room and sending us across the room to another entrance. This was done
so the traffic would go one way only. Once inside, though, at temperatures in
excess of 100 degrees F., I kept going quickly in a circular route out the door.
Whew! Needless to say, who cares what’s coming up for Playstation 2.

Tucked
in a corner, I found another branch of Cryo called Cryonetworks. They were showing
a demonstration of their upcoming on-line adventure game called The
Fog. This looks quite interesting, as they are using the theme of the
mystery of Jack the Ripper. A definite multi-player game, I was told that the
player cannot solve the game without receiving help from other players. Gone are
the days of anti-social behavior when playing games (sigh!).

Other games
of interest included Runaway, a road adventure that I was able to sit down
and play. This game has a familiar 2D point-and-click style and looks very much
like the Broken Sword series. Heir of the Druids has a few more
intriguing screenshots, and it looks like they’ve found a North American publisher.
Moonshine Runners is a game from Russia billed as an adventure/racing arcade
game. This game looks very nice and is capable of two-player mode via the Internet.
Rosemond Valley is a series for girls; one of them was billed as a horse
racing/adventure(?). Resurrection, an adventure/fighting hybrid (what’s
that all about?) looked interesting as well.

Last, we come to Ubisoft, who
were probably the least friendly at the show. Since no one would talk to me, I
grabbed a brochure and moved on. They were still showing the same old, same old:
Arcatera, Stupid
Invaders, etc.

I admit to a certain disappointment that Scooby
Doo wasn’t being shown; it’s one of the adventure titles I am definitely looking
forward to. But all in all the show was quite nice, more conducive to getting
further information on titles rather than new surprises.

And London, well,
it is everything they say it is: exciting, fast, oxygen deprived, friendly, unfriendly,
historical, exhausting, hip, atmospheric, and just plain wonderful.

And
so are you, Penelope! Wonderful, that is. JA thanks you for the exclusive report
from the ECTS, and our readers can look forward to upcoming previews of all of
the adventure games showcased in your article. And for those of you wondering:
no, Penelope is not our correspondent’s real name, and yes, that is a real picture
of Penelope. –Randy