Once
again, NextGen Videos has produced a wonderful anthology of all the
highlights from E3, and this years edition is bigger and better than
last years. Before, the one disc DVD anthology was impressive, but the
newly bulked-up four DVD collection, The Future of Videogames 2K4,
features some great new coverage and plenty more video footage of the
games well be looking forward to for well over the next year.The DVD
is available in several packages. The best value by far is the four disc
set, which goes for $19.99 here in the US. This is definitely the way to
go. But if youre one of those gamers who just cant stand to see an
Xbox title in action (which is probably why youre able to maintain that
point of view), then you can invest in just one of three system-specific
discs for $9.95 each. Obviously, four discs for the price of two is a
better value, and that fourth disc is the one that contains all the
booth babe footage (oh, and the new-to-this-years-model PC game
footage).
As I wrote about last years installment of this series, the Future
of Videogames 2K4 is about as close as youre going to get to being in
the industry at E3. Footage from all three of the major press
conferences (Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony), walkthroughs of games by
the producers and developers, and interviews with all sorts of game
luminaries (including the reclusive Peter Molyneaux) all make this more
than worth it. Of course, these elements are unobtainable to most folks,
so if you want the inside dirt on Fable or BC from the guy who is
creating the game, you wont find coverage of this caliber anywhere
else.
The walkthroughs of the games are wonderful, too. This really gives
you a sense of the game that a simple trailer or gameplay movie cant.
Its also fascinating to hear a little inside scoop about the
development process or the designers reasons for including or excluding
certain features. Again, this is the single most attractive element of
the Future of Videogames: These walkthroughs are really enjoyable. Now
if I could get NGV to simply videotape all of my scheduled appointments
at E3, I could enjoy the show from the comfort of my living room without
all the hustle and bustle of E3s carnival environment (that option
becomes very attractive to us gaming media as the years tick by).
Of course, a stellar standout in this years edition is the inclusion
of PC games. Lets hope for a whole disc dedicated to PC gaming next
year. Seeing new PC titles like Half-Life 2, Deus Ex 2, and City of
Heroes is enough to make any die hard console fan want to upgrade his PC
video card. Unfortunately, its a double-edged sword in the 2K4 edition:
The coverage is there, but its not fully fleshed-out. Id love to see
this aspect more fully developed.
Other drawbacks to the discs are somewhat minor. Of course, until
every game is accompanied by an interview or walkthrough, Im going to
complain that the walkthrough footage makes the game trailers pale in
comparison. The walkthroughs are just that much better. And seeing a
truly fascinating title like Beyond Good and Evil or Half-Life 2 summed
up in a simple game trailer makes this discrepancy of quality even more
glaring.
The only other real drawback is that with the four disc set we see a
lot of duplication. This is understandable: Games released on all
platforms must be represented on each disc, and its clear that the
discs we get in the four disc version of the Future of Videogames are
the same discs we could have purchased individually. This is a small
concern, but dont be surprised when you see Enter the Matrix featured
prominently (and painfully) on each disc.
So do you really need the Future of Videogames 2K4 collection? If
youre a hardcore gamer you do. And if youre a hardcore console gamer
without a broadband connection, then youll never really be able to
experience coverage like this anywhere else. Gamers with fast internet
access can fill the game trailer void in their life at any number of
websites (including GamesFirst!), but without that broadband connection
it would be virtually impossible to download all of these game trailers
before the games are actually released.
The Future of Videogames 2K4 should be waiting for you at your local
videogame shop, and its available all over the web right now. We like
Lik-Sang, so check them out.