TeAM YYePG

RADAR INDIE GAMES
REGULAR
INDEPENDENT’S DAY
Advice from the experts
WITH THE WORLD OF WARCRAFTS OF THE GAME WORLD
hogging attention all the time, some smaller games never get their
> chance in the spotlight. Now they will. Every month, we’ll handpick
one independent title that deserves a shot at the “big time.” That game
will be eyeballed by a panel of two game-industry professionals
and a CGW editor. The group will offer perspective and (we hope) a little
constructive criticism to the developer. This month’s pick:
GODS & HEROES:
ROME RISING
DEVELOPER: Perpetual Entertainment
RELEASE DATE: Q4 2005
WEBSITE: www.godsandheroes.com
Nice subject matter…but
wait! This
has a historical
motif. Aren’t all
MMORPGs supposed
to be fantasy
or sci-fi based?
What’s cool here is
that ancient history
is a comparatively unique, but not completely
off-the-wall, theme. And as titles like Age of
Empires prove, it’s a popular one. But no one’s
done much with the topic online.
Of course, how far the title really strays from
standard-issue fare remains to be seen…it
appears deities and their mystical powers will
play a big role. That may or may not be a positive
from a consumer’s perspective.
The game could stand out in an overcrowded
market. But will I truly feel like a Roman gladiator
or is this actually just another thinly veiled
me-too fantasy MMO in disguise? Assuming
Gods & Heroes can define itself, a success
would be 100,000 subscribers. Gladiators aren’t
as universally popular as superheroes, so I see
a 200,000 subscriber base as a long shot. /
As a hero of Rome—and child
of the gods—you’ll live Roman
mythology, where heroes and
monsters mingle. After picking
a character class (soldier, scout, priest, mystic, rogue, or gladiator) and deity
daddy (or mommy), you’ll battle the empire’s enemies and mythological beasties.
Perpetual is perpetuating two big bullet points here: “epic” story-driven
quests that are bigger and deeper than anything currently being done, and the
ability to eventually helm an NPC squad—which you hire, train, and control.
This month’s judges are David Cole, an analyst with DFC Intelligence who follows
the MMO space; CGW’s resident MMOron, Darren Gladstone, who is currently
juggling characters in four different MMOs; and Starr Long, who worked
on Ultima Online before becoming the producer of NCsoft’s Tabula Rasa.
Hey developers, want us to check out your games? Send an e-mail to
CGWletters@ziffdavis.com with the subject line: INDEPENDENT’S DAY.
David Cole
ANALYST/FOUNDER, DFC INTELLIGENCE
Darren Gladstone
SENIOR EDITOR, COMPUTER GAMING WORLD
As a guy who aced
Roman history—
mostly thanks to a
Ray Harryhausen
marathon—I’m
ready to release the
kraken…as it were.
First thing I
noticed: “Wow, that
warrior I created looks a little too Spartacus
and not enough Gladiator for my tastes.” Still, I
do like the deep character customization for
creating Festivus the Mighty. Gods & Heroes
promises lots of skills, god powers, and so on—
but what MMO doesn’t? The one thing that
looks “epic” is NPC squad command.
Boss around up to eight NPCs, then try
teaming with other players. Suddenly, you’ve
got a small army. Nobody’s done this before.
Know why? It’s tough to pull off. I’d like to see
Perpetual adopt some of the conventional RTS
control methods we’ve come to know and
love—especially when it comes to streamlined
target designation. Otherwise, heated battles
could be logistical nightmares, switching
between NPCs—and keeping Festivus alive! /
In Gods & Heroes, you’ll take on the role of a Roman hero during
the empire’s classical mythological time period.
Starr Long
PRODUCER, TABULA RASA, NCSOFT
It’s nice to see a
variation on the
medieval fantasy
theme, even if it’s
still swords-andsorcery
based. It
may help the title
separate itself
from all the D&D
clones. I, for one, love the idea of running
around in a skirt and sandals (wait, was
that out loud?).
The squad combat seems interesting...if
Perpetual can pull it off. No one’s doing any
kind of NPC warfare like these guys are talking
about. I mean, who doesn’t want to order
around a bunch of sweaty men in skirts?
They would need lots of hard training, of
course (damn, thinking out loud again).
I just wish Perpetual had gotten the Clash
of the Titans license. Calibos, the clockwork
owl, Ursula Andress as Aphrodite, Harry
Hamlin...I could go on forever, but I digress.
This appears to be an interesting game
with some elements—especially the setting—that
could set it apart from the pack. /
>> producer Scott Faye claims will have a very Dirty Harry–like feel. >> “Hot Coffee” in GTA: San Andreas? Not that it should be a huge shock, >>
36 > COMPUTER GAMING WORLD
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