dgc game
Margaret Weis
tC> well, my sister got me the death gate cycle computer game
tC> for christmas :)
tC> unfortunately, i have to wait til we get our new computer
tC> later this week to play it - it is on cd, and my current
tC> computer doesnt support cd software.
tC> the pictures on the package look cool though :)
tC> can hardly wait to play it. has anybody else played it?
tC> and comments or reviews?
tC> also, is the seventh book out in softcover yet?
tC> i have been looking frantically all over the place
tC> and can only find it in hardcover, when i can find
tC> it all :(
No, the seventh book is not out in paperback yet. I'm not sure when it will be.
Maybe early summer. They usually wait about nine months. I'll check and let
everyone know.
Margaret
STEPHEN M. REESE
First post, but I've been lurking for quite some time now. I just finished up
the _Death Gate_ game on Friday, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. In it, you play
the role of Haplo, travelling throughout the four worlds and slowly coming to
the realisation that your lord Xar is a misguided fool. However, your mission
is not to wreak havoc, but to find the Seal Pieces (one for each world),
which, when combined, will either Interconnect the worlds or Reform them
(re-assemble the original Earth). For those who are interested,
I'll give my opinions of the game. I apologise for the non-Dragonlance
content, but I think Margaret will be curious.
The interface is a little overbearing. You feel as if you are prodded gently
through the game, rather than having to fend for yourself. The three types of
graphics (2-D animation, 2-D stills, and 3-D animation) often conflict with
each other in such a way that they detract from the impact of the design.
The compass rose is very confusing, since you assume that you are viewing the
game through first-person perspective, but in actuality, your orientation on
the screen has little to do with directional cues.
Character-wise, the game fares well, but there are a few silly changes. For
instance, I really disliked the way the Patryns were illustrated. The Headman
of the Abri tribe looks like he overdosed on steroids, and Haplo is damn near
stocky. Patryns are lithe, muscular, and slender, from years of
constant physical exertion and infrequent availability of food. I was
disappointed with the inaccurate portrayal. And Hugh the Hand! Merciful
Sartan! Beardless, braidless, heavy browless, and robbed of his precious
stregno. Blasphemy, I tell you! No one should dare dilute Hugh in this way!
The acting was actually nicely done. I turned off the voice of Haplo (there
is an option by which you can hear his voice asking questions when you are
talking to characters), since his ridiculous comments would only
have come from a pre-Sundering human. :-) Jarre and Limbeck were amusing, but
Limbeck seemed a bit too self-absorbed in a non-cuddly way. He was far more
likeable in Margaret and Tracy's text. On Pryan, there is a goofy courtship
happening between an elf prince and a human female, but the designers don't
just go ahead and call them Paithan and Rega. Xar was very well done. I
had a hard time picturing him from the books' descriptions, but the artists'
renderings here captured a powerful image. And Zifnab - ah, Margaret, I think
you would be pleased. He's often hilarious.
The worlds are depicted in a limited, but somewhat fantastic way. I lamented
the absence of a first-person 3-D rendered interface that would allow one to
explore the worlds in a more expansive and rich manner. If I had designed the
game, that's the look I would have favoured, since the four worlds are so
well-imagined and diverse. Oh well.
There are some interesting diversions from the books, and some alternate uses
of characters. For example, Haplo doesn't start off with his dog - you meet
the dog during the game. Sang-Drax is introduced at the same point, but there
is no foreshadowing of his arrival, so his role as the big bad guy is
short-lived and without significant emphasis. I was angry that Alfred is
nowhere to be seen, but the game survives without him, much to my surprise.
Sadly, there's no strong female characters here. Jarre sits at her zinger
control panel and talks about looking after Limbeck; the elven women are
trapped in a kitchen; pseudo-Rega won't even talk to strangers until
pseudo-Paithan woos her with flowers and a stupid poem; a dwarf maiden giggles
and runs errands; and the worst of all - no Ciang and no Marit (although
unfortunately, she was a pushover when in the presence of Xar). Earth was
obviously only populated by white people when it was sundered. We didn't even
get to see the only dark-skinned people in the novels (the human families on
Chelestra) in the game, not to mention Grundle and Alake, two of my favourite
characters.
Aside from all these complaints, I enjoyed the game because it gave me a
chance to go back into the books and re-live some of the great experiences I
had there. I do believe that _Death Gate_ is the best thing Margaret and Tracy
have done yet, with their best character ever - the ambiguous, frustrating,
and irresistably lovable Haplo.
So, if you enjoyed the books, get the game. You'll probably like it. I did.
The bizarre thing is that I haven't read _The Seventh Gate_ yet, and
thankfully, the game's ending didn't give away the end of the book series (I
hope!) :-) Margaret, if you get a chance, you should take a look.
Stephen