As a lifelong Doctor Who fan – both the classic and the new
series – and a fan of video gaming, I was very excited to find out that the
first Doctor Who video game to be released for PlayStation 3, Doctor Who: The
Eternity Clock is coming to PS3 and Vita through PlayStation Network this
March. Here are some highlights of an article posted on IGN.com on March 8,
2012:
Details on The Eternity Clock have been scant to date, but
as the launch window approaches BBC Worldwide has opened the doors of the
TARDIS to reveal what this side scrolling platformer is all about - and true to
form, it's a lot bigger and more complex on the inside than one might
previously have imagined.
First and foremost, BBC Worldwide and developer Supermassive
Games are deadly serious about creating a game for proper gamers, aimed at your
typical PSN user - 18-30 year old males, with the title getting a PEGI 12
rating for 'mild violence'. Rather than just farming the license out like they
did for the two previous Nintendo titles (Evacuation Earth on DS and Return to
Earth on Wii), BBC Worldwide actively sought developers keen to work on the
franchise, choosing SuperMassive Games (Start The Party!, Tumble) from 6
original pitches.
"The franchise is growing enormously and the amount of
time and money you invest has a huge impact on the game you get, so licensing
it to people isn't going to get you the best quality. This time we're actually
putting in the BBC's own money and working with really good partners."
The time and money seems to have been well spent upon first
impressions. Crucially the game is evocative of an episode of the show. With
lovingly-recreated distinctive cinematography showcased by the Unreal Engine 3,
Matt Smith and Alex Kingston providing over 5000 lines of dialogue along with
motion capture, AND a full score by show composer Murray Gold, the feeling of
actually participating in an episode in uncanny.
The game is set over 17 levels across four fundamental time
periods on Earth - Elizabethan, Victorian, present day, the near future - and
with several extra-terrestrial locations from the show thrown in for good
measure, including the Cyber-factory, the Dalek Ship and the Stormcage
Containment Facility, which you break out of as River Song using her hallucinogenic
lipstick. Spoilers!
Ostensibly a side-scrolling platform puzzler with some
stealth elements thrown in, Simon estimates that The Eternity Clock will offer
a new player between 8-10 hours of gameplay. There are a variety of puzzle
mini-games peppered throughout the levels which you'll need to conquer to unlock
doors, time portals, and lifts. If you're playing co-op, the puzzles become
co-op too, meaning you'll have work together to solve them – much like the
Doctor and his companions do in the show.
The Eternity Clock has been planned as a long term investment
for BBC Worldwide with future instalments and DLC on the horizon, possibly to
tie in with the show's 50th anniversary in 2013. "We've got really big
plans. This was planned to be the first in a series of games, so the story is
set up in that way," Simon explained. "It gets left on a clear
cliff-hanger. The eternity clock is a big part of that. We haven't announced
anything yet, but I expect there will be some DLC."
For the full article which includes some cool screenshots of
the game as well go to this link: http://ps3.ign.com/articles/122/1220205p1.html?RSSwhen2012-03-08_072000&RSSid=1220205
Meanwhile, watch the trailer below and if you’re a
PlayStaition 3 owner and a Doctor Who devotee like me get ready to fire up the
TARDIS and go on an adventure through time and space in Doctor Who: The
Eternity Clock!
Although I'm not the gamer I use to be, I am definitely going to check this out. The Doctor, River, Cyberman, the Dalek, Silurians, and the Silence. All that and Time Travel - enough said!
ReplyDeletePhileas! Where or when have you been? When you have all time and space to play around in, I’m not surprised that you don’t spend much time playing video games!
ReplyDeleteThe combination of “old school” side-scrolling action and puzzle games and the ability to play in “co-op” mode and I’m not surprised that this game would appeal to you, Prof! I’ll bet you still pop back to the late-70’s to watch new Tom Baker episodes of Doctor Who on live TV and play Star Ship on the Atari Video Computer System!
If you stop by the lab, Professor, I’ll be happy to play co-op Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock with you… provided you don’t insist on playing as The Doctor all time, because of your personal experience with all things “Timey-wimey”.