Upcoming Innovations

Looking at a release-date list of upcoming games and reflecting on my time at E3 2006, I was struck by the bold innovations in technology and design waiting for us just around the bend. We are on the verge of some remarkable new contributions to gaming, and while a single column could not hope to account for them all, I'd like to highlight a few for you to join me in looking forward to.

Harmonix isn't afraid to pave the way.

The Animated Force
Canned animations have been a necessary evil for games since their inception, but at long last, next-generation technology has allowed developers to pursue alternative solutions. LucasArts in particular has embraced a combination of technologies (Euphoria's Natural Motion and PixelLux's DMM engine) to revolutionize both the way characters animate, as well as the way they interact with their environment in games like the tentatively titled Indiana Jones 2007 and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

Ignoring the technical mumbo-jumbo, the Natural Motion engine is essentially Artificial Intelligence for movement. The characters don't move because a prewritten animation tells them to, they move the way they do because they have programmed instincts. For example, when a platform tips and sways, it's the A.I. in Natural Motion that dictates how a character tries to regain their balance, and when they're thrown off a ledge, it's the character's built-in instinct to grab something that has them clawing a wall to find a handhold.

Combined with Natural Motion, the DMM engine handles the environment. This dictates how a crate splinters when Indiana Jones throws an enemy into it. With DMM, every object on screen carries not only its own weight, but its density as well, giving it a tangible breaking point.

Guitar Hero
Skyrocketing budgets may be a cause for concern for gamers, but occasionally a more challenging environment gives way to a more creative process for independent developers. Where developers RedOctane and Harmonix have struck gold is with their brusque treatment of convention and the bold decision to think not only outside the box, but outside the controller with Guitar Hero II™.

With X-plorer in hand and licensed music bursting through your stereo, this rhythm based, soon-to-be-classic Xbox 360™ title provides a next-gen experience of the highest caliber. It may not win Best Graphics honors, although it looks just fine, but its critically acclaimed gameplay and the promised downloads via Xbox LIVE® Marketplace make GHII an immediate contender for top ten honors.

Expressive doesn't begin to cover it.

Conversing with Mass Effect
With its drop-dead gorgeous vistas and deep gameplay, it may seem odd to highlight the conversation mechanic in Mass Effect™ as its most noteworthy achievement, but after demos at E3 and a handful of trailers, I'm convinced we will witness a fundamental and long-overdue shift in in-game interaction when this game hits shelves.

Gone now are the days of flat conversations, stilted responses, and immobile faces. With the ability to steer conversations fluidly by way of intent, such as choosing to be aggressive instead of selecting an aggressive statement, and a facial animation system that betrays alarmingly authentic emotions, we can finally truly role-play in role-playing games.

Player Economies
I'm an ardent fan of anything "player driven," whether it's crafting lightsabers in Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic® II: The Sith Lords™, inventing new potions and spells in The Elder Scrolls® IV: Oblivion™, or editing maps in Far Cry Instincts™, I crave creative control.

With Forza Motorsport™ 2 offering a player-driven auction house, I may spend more time shopping than driving, let alone tweaking my own car's parts and paintjobs for sale to the highest bidder. This single online component changes the way everyone will approach the game.

With a dynamic, ever-changing economy, you can find deals at every turn, rake in massive profit by selling grossly over-valued models, and more importantly, artists and car-nuts alike can take advantage of their respective skills to literally profit in-game by custom-building and designing vehicles for less talented or knowledgeable players (like me).

Wonder what that would fetch at auction?

Shadowrun Doubles Down
PC and console gamers have long been separated, often forced to turn to one machine or the other, unable to stick strictly to their preferred platform. With the release of Shadowrun™ for Windows Vista and Xbox 360, barriers are finally tumbling.

This intermingling of PC and Xbox 360 gamers is exciting enough, but to be honest, I'm equally looking forward to the other frills afforded by Live for Windows players: Logging Gamerscore while playing on my PC, downloading Marketplace content on my computer, sending and receiving messages via my Friends List, and most importantly (to me), voice chat with friends, whether they're on their PC or Xbox LIVE.

Next-gen gaming is just coming into its own as new technologies begin to take full advantage of the horsepower Xbox 360 supplies. It's an exciting time to be a gamer, and with any luck, the revolutions will come one after another.

Article by Ryan Treit