a selection of visual treats

The Zelda gamecube trailer that was released during last week's Game Developer's conference made me a believer. This isn't a darkening of the series so much as it is an aging of the series; Link's new adventure does not look like something you have to make excuses for to play. There are no tattoos or trite one-liners here; this is a calculated reframing of an existing, accepted universe. Graveyards no longer have cartoonish ghosts or creatures that you would sooner laugh at; the battles contain a legitamately creepy atmosphere. What actually gave me goosebumps - yes, motherfucking goosebumps - was the brief glimpse of what seemed to be Link's view of Return of the King's Path of the Dead. This new adventure could very well end up falling back to its traditional gameplay elements, but at this point I'm more interested in seeing more of what the game world itself has to offer.

Then there's the Episode III trailer. It furthers my theory that these trailers do an excellent job of building expectations. Then again, fans have been doing that for the last 20 years. I have this sinking feeling that this film will be incredible, and will somehow alleviate the growing pains that were endured over the course of its predecessors in the minds of fans. It almost feels like the entire plot could be summarized into one film, where Anakin's childhood and "romance" with Padme are glossed over in couple of scenes. The Clone Wars and associated galactic conflicts have been developed more by outside materials than Episode II itself, and this is something I hope Episode III corrects with the stunning space battles hinted at in the trailer. The movie is starting to look more like the original trilogy, with familiar looking spacecraft filling out some of the short scenes. The part man, part machine known General Grievous looks like a fascinating character, and even after those split seconds in the trailer it seems like an indignity for him not to be canonized in the official poster. The prequel trilogy's focus on droids is actually something to consider: could it be that the bartender in the Mos Eisley cantina had a hatred that was actually founded in these historical battles? It's this type of thing that allows Star Wars to permanently reside in my sphere of interests.

Somehow German gaming site Gamona has scored a high res feast of the upcoming Call of Duty 2 that was recently previewed in the April issue of PC Gamer. According to dates listed on EB Games and Gamespot, the game is due to be released this August, which I have a very hard time believing. The inevitable sequel announced last month was rumoured to have enlisted the assistance of id software's Doom III engine, but will instead be using a proprietary engine as noted in a portion of the PC gamer article. Though the screens do share similarities to the aging Quake III engine, I have to admit the models and environments look more natural. There will obviously be a campaign in North Africa, and while I do appreciate the added ability to choose which one to play, one of the screens almost looks like we'll be placed into the boots of a German soldier. All joking aside, this could be a big step for WW2FPS single player campaign. It's easy for a developer to motivate players by throwing a bunch of Nazis onto the screen and call them "The Enemy". What would be even more impressive is if Infinity Ward actually used this scenario to their advantage, and explored the other side of the war. Though I doubt the moral quandary that comes with it would be suited to fans of the genre's previously established conventions.

do not hesitate, show no mercy