By Heiko Haupt Feb 11, 2007, 8:14 GMT
Hamburg/Munich There was a time when an online multiplayer role playing game like World of Warcraft automatically meant immersing oneself into a fantasy world of orcs, elves and other amazing creatures.
Starting in February, there will be other worlds to explore. te Bounty Bay Online game recreates the 14th to 16th century world of sailors and traders. There's also Test Drive Unlimited, in which player can jump into an online world of racing drivers, auto races and car upgrades. Solo players won't get left out.
PC games such as Maelstrom, Supreme Commander and The Show are also supposed to hit stores this month.
Online games are generally electronic realms conceived by designers and programmers. The Berlin-based Frogster Interactive, publisher of Bounty Bay Online The Nautic Century breaks that rule by meticulously recreating the Middle Ages.
Starting on February 22, players can enter it and explore, using ships very much like those of the era's great explorers such as Christopher Columbus.
Exploration is the name of this game, which has already been a hit in Asia. Players can navigate 60 different cities, many of which are surrounded by areas worth exploring. Players do not have to sail the world either. They can play traders and craftsmen or spend their time chasing pirates. The game costs about 30 euros and requires internet access. Additionally, players will be charged a monthly fee of about 10 euros, according to Frogster.
Cars, cars, cars and a few motorcycles are the focus of Test Drive Unlimited, another online game. Players find themselves cruising the streets of Hawaii. Designers recreated 1,600 kilometres of the island's roads for virtual races.
First and foremost Test Drive is a racing game, allowing players to go head to head or to simply tool along roads at their own top speed. Players can choose from the original designs of 125 cars, including Lamborghinis and other classics and then tune them up to their personal specifications. If driving around gets boring, players can take over a garage or a house. Atari in Frankfurt has announced that the PC version of Test Drive Unlimited will go on sale February 15 and cost about 50 euros.
But gamers are not limited to online games this season. Take2 of Munich is about to release a strategy game designed to creep people out.
The Show is about a TV show, but this is not your standard evening's entertainment.
The first thing you need to know is that The Show is set in a nightmarish future. It's the end of the 21st century and a fictitious police state run by a dictator routinely harasses and arrests dissidents. The only escape is a TV show where they're forced to compete against other teams on an artificial island. The idea singles out The Show from other strategy games but, at the end of the day, players still have to use strategy, tactics and high-tech weapons to destroy the other team.
The Show goes on sale on February 23 and costs a little under 30 euros.
Code masters also came up with a futuristic scenario for their upcoming strategy game Maelstrom. In 2040, severe climate change has nearly wiped out humanity. The survivors do what comes naturally to people in computer games they fight one another. While the surviving humans are fighting for any remaining dry, a third race of aliens shows up, watches the combat and decides to wipe out humanity. The game is expected on the market by late February and will sell for a little under 50 euros.
Gamers who like to play futuristic games will have other choices too. THQ in Krefeld plans to release Supreme Commander in February. The background may seem a bit dull to seasoned gamers, but the electronic world offered provides plenty of opportunities to plan strategic campaigns. To keep things interesting, computerized opponents come prepackaged with a few tactics of their own.
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