Space Siege - updated impressions
We talk to Chris Taylor about his forthcoming space-based RPG epic
"We're not going down the Deus Ex road though," explains Taylor when asked if there'll be any similarities to Warren Spector's RPG classic. "Space Siege isn't as hardcore. It's a little more like World of Warcraft. We've realized that the market is changing. Games are entertainment and people don't want to get stuck on games all the time. We want Space Siege to appeal to everyone. If you want to make it more difficult, you'll be able to go down the human path. If you're younger, the moral dilemma may not be so important and you may just want to become a cyborg. More hardcore players will no doubt want to get through the entire game with no augmentations, simply out of principle."
As Taylor alluded to a few moments ago, a supporting cast of characters will aid you in your attempts to thwart the aliens from wiping out the last humans in the universe. Among these will be Gina Reynolds, a foxy communications officer - aka the love interest - a fiercely anti-cybernetic communications officer (you can see the post-coital arguments already). There will also be Dr. Edward DeSoto, a cybernetic surgeon; Jake Henderson, a hardened soldier who'd do anything for Seth; and Frank Murphy, a washed-up alcoholic with a penchant for mechanical repairs.
Despite attempts to siphon more info from Taylor and Achterman, we're informed my time is up. However, we do manage to extract one last tantalizing morsel from them before they leave. Apparently, there'll be another sinister force at work within The Armstrong, which will throw the moral dilemma mentioned earlier wide open.
While it's still too early to make any concrete calls on how Space Siege will turn out, it certainly appears to have the makings of another top-quality title. Given Gas Powered's already impressive collection of hits, Space Siege's strong moral themes and a solid role-playing core, Chris Taylor and his team may soon find themselves with another gem to slap onto their sparkling resumes.
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