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- Black & White 2
Black & White 2
- March 14, 2005 09:29 AM PST
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Lush in detail, the next installment is easily one of the most vibrant Molyneux games to date.
Impressive. In a word, that's the best way to describe Black and White 2, an interesting departure for a quirky series. Peter Molyneux recently stopped by the GamePro offices to demonstrate Lionhead's latest work-in-progress. And if this sneak peek is anything to go by, the final version of Black and White 2 is likely to earn massive critical and commercial success. Sometimes you can just tell.The pre-beta version of Black and White 2 showed off prodigious visual detail, most evident in the stunning 3D landscapes. Every single blade of grass looked thick and lush, not bunched up into small clusters as seen in so many other games. If you ran your cursor through the grass, it even rippled realistically. This is called attention to detail, folks, and Black and White 2 is so phenomenally devoted to it that, if you zoomed in close enough on the ground, you'd spot tiny lines of ants winding their way between each blade of grass. Further cementing Black and White 2's ridiculous mastery of minute detail, the ants would even notice nearby sweet foods and attempt to eat them.
But it wasn't all about tiny visual details. The vast bodies of water looked simply breathtaking--almost as good as those featured in Half-Life 2. The environments also displayed impressive real-time deformation effects (you could pound the earth flat with your fist, or brush all the grass of a plot of land). Black and White 2's buildings also boasted sharp details, such as tiny town bazaars.
As in the first game, players can raise and train a Creature (including massive humanoid lions and apes) to do their bidding. Training worked in much the same way (you can slap or punch to punish, or tickle and pet to reward). But unlike the first game, this animal-raising mechanic is only a small component of the bigger picture in Black or White 2. The first Black and White received some critical scorn because once you'd trained your Creature, there wasn't much else fun to do. This sequel looks to rectify those complaints quite handily, mostly by focusing on an RTS approach. Players are free to ignore their neighboring cities and focus on creating a peaceful, idyllic world; the environment will change accordingly to depict breathtaking fields of flowers and golden rays of sunshine. War-minded cities, however, grow barren and dark. These environmental reactions are purely for show--they don't affect gameplay--but they make quite an impression nonetheless.
As for the RTS gameplay, only certain details were available. For instance, Black and White 2 puts a great focus on building defensive walls. These walls can be smashed (either by catapult, a raging Creature, or by rolling a rock down a steep hill) in a realistic display of cutting-edge physics. You can even pick up the smashed pieces and throw them back at your enemies.
Black and White 2 also makes managing soldier units an effortless affair, even though the game's massive armies often number in the hundreds (or even thousands). Other notable RTS elements included the introduction of Epic Miracles, which unleash massive natural disasters (like Hurricanes and Volcanoes) on an enemy city. Again, the visuals stole the show; it was amazing to see a massive volcano sprout from the ground (showing off real-time geometry deformation effects) and spew rivers of glowing lava. The final version will initially support only one player, but Lionhead is hoping to add an eight-player multiplayer mode soon after the game's release.
Black and White 2 is shooting for a Fall release date. Based on the early beta build, the game looks like it could revolutionize the RTS genre with its simple, elegant interface and jaw-dropping visuals (expect system requirements to hover around those of Half-Life 2). Stay tuned to GamePro.com for further details on this much-anticipated PC title.
