Adventure Company: Upcoming Releases archived preview
There still is no more prolific publisher of adventure games than The Adventure Company, and the folks who brought Syberia and Dark Fall to North American shores have a full slate of releases hitting stores in the near future. Here's a preview of what you'll see from TAC over the next six months:
[titlesml]Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon[/titlesml]
The Sleeping Dragon is the third installment in Revolution's Broken Sword series of games. Players of the first two games will feel right at home with the characters in the new game, as they once again take control of both George and Nico to investigate a global series of earthquakes.
With The Sleeping Dragon, Revolution has created a fully 3d engine to allow them to offer a whole new array of puzzles. The new engine also allows for better-executed timed puzzles, in which an action must be completed in a certain amount of time. In addition, Revolution's camera system is a nice balance between fixed and fully mobile solutions. The camera follows a fixed path as the character navigates an area, creating a nicely cinematic experience as well as ensuring that the camera never lodges itself behind a tree or other obstacle.
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon hits shelves on November 17, 2003 for both PC and XBOX.
[titlesml]The Black Mirror[/titlesml]
The Black Mirror, FutureGames' new adventure, looks to be just in time for Halloween this year. The game tells the story of Samuel Gordon, a british nobleman determined to discover the truth behind the death of one of his ancestors. The quest leads Samuel to several more murders and eventually puts his own life at risk.
A third-person adventure, The Black Mirror's story is divided into six chapters, and includes a variety of puzzles through over 100 locations. The game's engine allows for realtime atmospheric effects such as rain and fog.
The Black Mirror is already available in stores, and is available for the PC only. It is rated M for Mature.
[titlesml]Traitors Gate II: Cypher[/titlesml]
Traitor's Gate II: Cypher, 258 Software's followup to the original Traitor's Gate, looks to be a pretty worthy sequel. Playing as the operative codenamed 'Raven,' your mission is to recover a highly destructive computer virus before it can be unleashed, and to destroy the lab that created it.
Gone are the original game's node-based 360 degree views, to be replaced by realtime 3d environments which allow for much more in-depth exploration of the game's setting in an ancient Babylonian ruin. The game will also feature 3d positional audio and a totally original soundtrack.
Traitor's Gate II: Cypher shipped on October 29, 2003 and is available on the PC only.
[titlesml]Mysterious Journey II: Chameleon[/titlesml]
In Mysterious Journey II: Chameleon, you play as Sen, a man who awakens aboard a deserted space station in orbit around a desolate planet with no memories of who he is, where he is, or what happened up to the present. Aided by technology which allows him to impersonate others, Sen must explore the world below and try to bring about peace between two tribes while learning his own story in the process.
The game is set up in a very nonlinear fashion, allowing you to go anywhere almost immediately, so you can choose what to do and in what order. Mysterious Journey II: Chameleon features a completely orchestrated musical score, detailed backgrounds, and a story and dialogue written by sci-fi author Terry Dowling.
Mysterious Journey II: Chameleon ships on November 10, 2003 for the PC platform only.
[titlesml]The Crystal Key II: The Far Realm[/titlesml]
In Earthlight's new game The Crystal Key II: The Far Realm, you must work to defeat an evil power that has enslaved the minds of everyone on the planet Evany. All alone, you will visit a number of worlds in a quest to find help for your planet.
Featuring some gorgeous artwork for 47 locations in 10 different types of environment, The Crystal Key II: The Far Realm also boasts positional audio and a variety of puzzle types.
The Crystal Key II: The Far Realm will be available for PC only on December 4, 2003.
[titlesml]Jack the Ripper[/titlesml]
In Jack The Ripper, developer Galiléa tells the story of a young reporter named Jimmy Palmer. While investigating a series of murders in New York City's low side district, Jimmy writes a series of editorials. The editorials attract the attentions of none other than the infamous serial killer Jack The Ripper, who begins to actually correspond with Palmer.
Jack The Ripper is designed as a node-based first person game, allowing the player 360 degree views from selected points in each environment. Based on actual events and featuring dark and moody settiongs and music, Jack The Ripper offers a healthy dose of suspense.
Jack The Ripper will be in stores in early 2004 for the PC only.
[titlesml]Forever Worlds[/titlesml]
In Forever Worlds, you must investigate the disappearance of a famous paleontologist who was on a quest through the Amazon to find a mythic tree of great power. Caught up by a powerful spell, you must navigate several alternate realities to try to prevent everything from happening in the first place.
The game engine features node-based navigation in the first person. A whole host of odd creatures to interact with, combined with a sense of humor and some surreal settings, makes for a very original game.
Forever Worlds will be out for PC only in January of 2004.
[titlesml]The Egyptian Prophecy[/titlesml]
Set in ancient Egypt, The Egyptian Prophecy's plot centers around the dying pharoah Ramses II. In exchange for helping the pharoah, Amon-Ra (the sun god) demands that a huge temple be built to honor him. You play a priestess by the name of Maia who must uncover the reason for a series of incidents during the temple's construction.
In addition to the usual item inventory, The Egyptian Prophecy also grants you certain magic powers which you can use in your mission. The game features 15 minutes of cinematic cutscenes, a large number of main characters, and a soundtrack inspired by ancient themes.
The Egyptian Prophecy ships for PC only in early 2004.
[titlesml]Atlantis Evolution[/titlesml]
Atlantis Evolution takes place in 1904 in none other than the lost city of Atlantis. En route to New York, Curtis Quick is caught by a vortex that leaves him stranded in Atlantis. Playing as Curtis, you must help the people of Atlantis and find your way home.
Built around detailed 3d environments, Atlantis Evolution offers 5 seperate areas to explore, each with its own visual style and set of puzzles to overcome.
PC users can expect Atlantis Evolution to ship in early 2004.
