Cryptic have been kind enough to take the time to answer a number of questions that I thought would be interesting, both to those who might not have played the recent beta, and to those who’ve been grabbing up our keys at warp speed over the last week or so (note: all 500 keys have now been handed out).

In choosing questions for the team, I tried to cover  information on the the game’s background, its development, its status as a brand new title in a massive worldwide franchise, and, of course, the technology and gameplay we can expect from the game.

I think we got some good answers.

Star Trek Online has been in development for a very long time (since 2004), and has seen a change in developer (from Perpetual Entertainment to Cryptic Studios).  Do you think this has made the development of the game more difficult, or has the extra time allowed you to go further with your ideas?

Actually, we didn’t use any code or design from the previous developer. We began from scratch, so there really wasn’t any additional development time for us. We got working on the game in 2008, and we’re very proud of the work we’ve done in such a brief period of time.

Star Trek is a worldwide phenomenon, with one of the largest fanbases of any science fiction franchise.  Do you see that as a guarantee of success?  Trek fans will play it no matter how good it is.  Or as a challenge?  Star Wars Galaxies had some problems establishing a core base of players; we have to do this right.

It’s nice to have that fan base to build up excitement for the game.  They’re excited, we’re excited but you can’t rely just on the name to sell the game.  It has to be something fun and something that is true to the Star Trek franchise. So what the Star Trek name guarantees us is exposure. There are a lot of eyeballs on us right now, and if the game is good, those people will play. We’re not counting on anyone to stick around just because it’s Star Trek; we want to make the best game we can.

You’ve stated that the STO is set 30 years after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis, the final film featuring the Next Generation cast.  However, last year saw the Star Trek reboot, by J.J. Abrams, which was wildly successful.  Did you ever consider switching to the alternate timeline introduced in that movie?

Well CBS was the licensor with us and not Paramount who did the recent J.J. Abrams movie so we stuck with the original timeline.  Plus we were already working on our story and when that movie came out so it would have been a huge undertaking to switch stories, plus getting the rights, etc. The good news is, since its Star Trek, visiting alternate universes is always a possibility.

In the official FAQ, you’ve stated that, in STO, ‘Technology has advanced and the galaxy is a much more volatile place.’  Can you elaborate on that?

Well it’s 30 years past any recent Star Trek movie or TV show, so there’s a lot of new gadgetry in the universe. Most notably, people can wear miniaturized versions of the shields ships use, so they have some additional protection from ground phaser fire. The galaxy is a much more volatile place because the Borg are back, Klingons are back to their warlike ways again the Federation are trying to hold it all together.

Let’s talk gameplay.  Combat in MMOs can be a deciding factor in the game’s success.  How does STO’s action differ from other MMOs, is it a more casual experience, stats-focused, or a balance of both?

Well there are two different kinds of combat in STO:  space and ground.  In space, it’s a very tactical experience. You’re constantly thinking about what weapons you want to fire, which skills and abilities you want to use, how you want to position yourself, and so on. It demands a lot of attention from the player, but in a good, visceral way. On the ground, combat is more action-oriented. You can play with friends or with four NPC Bridge Officers, who have their own unique skills and contribute to the fight along the way. But it’s tactical, too. You can actually pause the game on the ground and issue orders to your Bridge Officers before unpausing and letting the action play out.

Though it’s not in the beta, the ‘Genesis’, system for creating randomly-generated content for explorers sounds like an exciting idea.  How will it work?  And what kind of content can we expect?

Genesis is actually in-game right now, but it works a bit differently than a lot of people think. The Genesis system is an in house tool that allows us to create maps and systems at a really quick rate.  A designer can go in and say he wants a purple planet with asteroids, 3 moons, a space station and 5 birds of prey to defeat.  And then boom it’s done.  Then our artists can go in and make it pretty looking.  This allows us to create things really quickly and then put them in the game.  So when people explore a star cluster they may go into one of these maps that has been generated and since we have so many of them, they could potentially be the first to discover it.

Just a quickie.  How’s the reaction to the beta been so far?  Got any big improvements/fixes to come?

The reaction to the beta has been really positive so far.  We’ve actually had so many people playing it that we’ve had to get more servers.  None that I can spill the beans on just yet but there will always be big improvements/fixes to come J.

So, there you have it.  While I can’t claim to have coaxed any huge  spoilers, or any brand new features, out of the team, I think there are some scraps of detail that are potentially exciting for STO fans.

Here’s my picks:

The ‘Genesis’ system is not an in-game feature that randomly generates large amounts of gameworld for the player.  Rather, it is a development tool, allowing for the swift creation of new ‘encounters’ and areas for the player to explore.  Effectively, this means Cryptic can support the game very efficiently by releasing new content more often.

‘The good news is, since its Star Trek, visiting alternate universes is always a possibility.’ - Cryptic haven’t ruled out using alternative universes and timelines in future updates for the game.  Could we see a tie in with the new movies?  Maybe, if the game is popular.

‘We’re not counting on anyone to stick around just because it’s Star Trek; we want to make the best game we can.’ – Something I’m sure we’d like to hear all developers say.  Cryptic aren’t resting on their laurels, and they know that they have to keep people playing.  Expect a lot of support for the game post-release.

Thanks again to Cryptic for the interview, and to those of you who left a quote for a beta key.

Loadscreen.net wishes the team at Cryptic the very best of luck with the release of Star Trek Online.

Let’s hope it’s a case of set phasers to ‘stunning’.

Ed: You can find our User Review and Discussions forum thread for Star Trek Online here.

A response to the article 2010 – The Death of Gaming

I don’t know about you, but I’m excited.  No, it’s not the new season of 24 – though OMG.  I’m talking about the gaming industry in 2010, and how, I believe, it is on the crest of a new wave of video gaming.

Now, this is an opinion piece, and I’ll admit my homework amounts to nothing more than being plugged into the gaming media 18/7 – I work part-time –  but I’m educated enough, and gamed enough, to know when something big is coming.

Let’s get down to it, shall we?  Motion control and 3-D (the abbreviation of ‘3D’, is dependent on where you look – the hyphenated version seems to relate specifically to certain television technologies allowing the domestic consumption of the format), the most significant advances in interactive entertainment – let’s call it Input – in the last ten years.  Forget chasing after the Magic Dragon of Photorealism, it’s a mirage; instead, look at the Nintendo Wii, at what that product has done to people’s perception of gaming.

Before this generation, in which I will include the Wii, though its hardware is largely (excepting the Wiimote) last generation, videogames were not something you’d share with your girlfriend/mother/grandma/sister.*

*Ok, yes, there are always going to be exceptions to this rule, but please don’t feel the need to remind me of who you are.  We’re all special, after all.

Today, a close proximity to Wii Fit enhances your social appeal.  It’s officially ‘in’, a ‘fad’, and a topic of conversation that doesn’t end in mild embarrassment.  All this, when I can still remember cultivating an attachment to Star Wars: Rogue Squadron on the Gamecube (Nintendo’s previous console); a game, about which, my girlfriend and I are unlikely to develop a bond; a game that has nothing but unhealthy connotations, from serious sci-fi addiction to the sofa-bound control scheme.

And it’s not at all to do with appealing to women.  Heck no.  That would be a short-sighted conclusion, considering the large amount of female gamers there are and always have been.  No, it’s the uncanny ability of an oblong of plastic to encourage entire generations to treat videogames as a viable casual pastime.  But why?

Nintendo's Wii - appealing to women, attractive to men

First of all, the Wiimote has changed people’s perceptions of how people play games.  The image of an overweight, spotty teenager, slouched over a control pad has been replaced by an attractive 20-something woman in revealing sports gear, working up a sweat playing virtual volleyball.  It’s genius, and it’s not just for perverts either.  Granddad has the promise of a good, old fashioned game of golf in the safety of his own home.  Where are the Grand Theft Auto hoodlums now?  Challenging Auntie Madge to another round of Wii bowling, that’s where.  Motion control has brought the family unit into gaming.  How many of us played Wii with our nearest and dearest this Christmas?

This might well constitute a revolution in itself, however, I did not set out to write about the Wii’s success.  By itself, Nintendo’s motion control gimmick – as some call it – can’t redefine the videogames we play today, simply because of their console’s hardware limitations.  Don’t see that as an insult.  Understand that, in terms of computing power, the Wii is about seven years old.  It can’t handle the cutting edge game engines that power most of the HD consoles’ (PS3 and 360) AAA games.  If you’re a Wii owner holding out for a sudden revelation in pixel pushing prowess akin to Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, please consider this your wake up call: it’s never going to happen.  And here in lies the problem.

The games favoured by the so called hardcore of gaming (at least, console hardcore – a separate species from their PC cousins), are all about graphical and networking innovation.  Textures, lighting, and the number of players in an online battle take supremacy over ingenious interfacing.  In fact, many PS3/360 will tell you they like the simplicity of an old-fashioned control pad – there’s a pleasant levelling factor in control pads, in that, no matter how capable you are at physical activity, twiddling your thumbs is relatively straightforward (though there must be a few of us who, sadly, may have issues with this control method as well).  And, of course, some of us will continue to swear by the keyboard and mouse as if they were rare, high-levelled loot in a game of Diablo.

But this adherence to a convention of controllers, like the Wii’s inferior power, has been counter-productive to the evolution of gaming.  Computer games have reached an impasse.  And while graphics have been improved and online gaming has been brought into the living room (by PS3/360), and whilst the concept of motion control has been proved popular (by the Wii), gamers have yet to see the benefit of these technologies working in tandem.

That’s where 2010 comes in.  Sony’s Motion Controller and Microsoft’s Project Natal have been scheduled to release this autumn/fall, and, with them, the next generation of motion controlled games.  Yes, Sony and Microsoft will have their own equivalents of Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit; it would idiotic of them not too, given the potential for such titles to win over the casual crowd, but both companies are well aware that they have an established base of hardcore gamers.  I predict that, before the year is out, we will see hardcore games, FPSs, RTSs and RPGs, adopting this technology in novel and surprising ways.

This can be a sensitive topic for many gamers.  Ever since the PS3/360 motion controllers were announced early last year, a large amount of comment/talkback time has been dedicated to the theory that Sony and Microsoft will abandon their core audience in favour of our grandmas.  This paranoia is symptomatic of a generation of gamers that believe the golden age of gaming is over and that we – those of us who can still remember playing the original Half-Life - have been left to fight over the scraps thrown down to us from the Sony/Microsoft table, in the form of platform exclusives released about every six months.  But the truth is that the golden age of gaming has not yet arrived, and, if there is one, it might well begin in 2010.

Microsoft’s Natal, the Sony ‘wand’ (a non-official name), and the advances in home 3-D technology, represent an opportunity for developers to reacquaint themselves with one of the fundamental concepts of Virtual Reality: immersion.  After all, how we interface with our virtual entertainment is about a lot more than overcoming the inconvenience of not being in direct physical contact with the worlds we play in.

A good interface should be invisible (as small and neat as possible), intuitive and natural, causing no sense of disorientation between the real and the virtual.  Such an interface allows for a sense of immersion in the entertainment.  Both the 360 controller and the Dual Shock 3 do a decent job at being invisible, and, if the controls are laid out well, intuitive, but they are not natural.  They do not mimic or recreate natural motion, which is exactly why Wii tennis, though it bares little visual resemblance to the real game, definitely feels more like playing tennis.

However, if Natal and the ‘wand’ can match or better the accuracy and speed of the Wiimote, then it is possible to imagine 360 and PS3 games with much more visceral, much more natural and much more immersive gameplay.  The tech demos for both devices have hinted at mind-boggling possibilities: speech recognition in character interaction, melee combat that actually involves wielding a virtual sword and shield with your own hands, as well as speed and precision when moving, placing and selecting objects in the virtual world.

There will be those that say, ‘We’ve had the Wii for years now, and no one has succeeded in making a single hardcore game that plays better with motion controls, than on consoles or the PC.’

Well, that may be the case.  But remember, the Wii is too slow to deliver the definitive experience in any of today’s games.  No matter what happens with the next Zelda, it will still not be as advanced as TES: Oblivion.  The Wii wasn’t designed to be a machine for ambitious blockbusters.  The deepest experiences on the console are Nintendo’s trademark IPs (Super Mario Galaxy and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess), and, while each makes liberal use of the Wiimote, motion control has not been at the heart of any of these games (apart, perhaps, for Metroid Prime 3: Corruption – the best implementation of a motion controller in a FPS-Platformer to date.)  Let’s face it; we shouldn’t be looking to the Wii for experiences like Demon’s Souls or Bioshock.  Long may it continue to be the no.1 console for bowling titles.

It is reasonable, however, to expect these advanced experiences on the 360 and PS3. And, in this case, I think motion control gaming is going where it belongs – to the cutting edge.

Honestly, I will not hesitate to get my hands on the PS3 ‘wand’, when the inevitable sword and sorcery epic is released – be it Hack and Slash or RPG.  And I’m thrilled at the prospect of what the ‘wand’ can do for online shooters.  In my mind, if it really works at 60fps, it may elevate the biggest disadvantage about FPS gaming on a console – the fact that no analogue stick on earth will ever require as much precision and skill as a mouse.  Who knows, we could see the end of ‘Aim Assist.’  Consoles could become the place for competitive online gaming.  Similarly, RTSs may finally become playable with the precision of a fast pointer.

How to talk about Natal?  It’s hard to make any judgments before we’ve seen what the technology can do, but I’ve got a few ideas.  For the hardcore gamer, there are a number of benefits motion-tracking can offer, though they do not resemble what we’ve come to expect from the controller based systems (Wii, PS3).  The first is that of speech recognition in RPG games or adventure games, where interacting with NPCs is a large part of the gameplay.  If you’ve seen the ‘Milo Demo’, introduced by Peter Molyneux at E3 2009, you will know what I’m talking about here.  Sure, the demo is a set-up – there’s a script.  But if Microsoft can actually come close to the vision of that demo then we’ll have something special on our hands – or not on our hands, as the case may be.

One has to wonder, however, about the biggest issue with Natal, and how it can be resolved.  You can’t move your character in the virtual world: it’s a tracking system, not a control system.  Is there a solution?  Yes.  Will it be used?  Almost certainly.  What is it?  Simple, the 360 Wireless Controller isn’t going anywhere.  For 50% of all Natal games, 90% of all hardcore games, I am prepared to bet that you will control most of your in-game movement the same way you’ve always done it, with the analogue sticks and the ABXY buttons.  And, while this is not a bad thing, it reveals the limitation of Natal’s technology for the hardcore gamer.

What remains is something that’s been around on the PC for a few years, and something that the PS3’s Eye Toy can also do:  head tracking.  Good news is that this is a damn cool feature which is excellent for action gaming.  Basically, the camera tracks your head movements and makes them correspond to where you’re looking in-game – aiming can then be handled separately by the analogue stick.  This means you can look in one direction, while pointing your gun in another.  It’s tactically realistic, immersive, and very, very useful.  Of course, with the advanced nature of Natal, you might also get the chance to duck and lean and jump, if you can be bothered, and don’t mind looking like an ass in front of your friends.

In conclusion, I must mention 3-D.  We won’t all have it in our homes this year, but there’s a fair chance that most of us will in 3-5 years.  Its benefits for gaming are self-explanatory, but it’s safe to say it can only enhance the immersion we have in our videogames.  Combined, as it must be, with motion technology it could literally add another dimension to the experience.

So, with 3-D TVs, motion trackers and motion controllers becoming commonplace in our living rooms, the notion of ‘Full Immersion VR’, for everyone is easier to imagine than ever before.  Are you ready to embrace these technologies, and be the first to score a headshot with a virtual gun you had to physically aim?  Or will you rail against them, clamouring for the good-old-days when games were simple, and when GTA’s hookers didn’t meet your eye in defiance when you beat them to death with a baseball bat?

One thing’s for sure: we live in exciting times for interactive entertainment.  The games of the future are being born today.

The loadscreen team have taken time out of their busy schedules (yeah right) to each list their top five favourite titles of the last 10 years.

Josh Walker (joshwk)

COUNTER STRIKE – Valve 2000

Memories bring back loading up cs_italy around a mate’s and firstly being taken aback by his ISDN connection (Yes, I had 28k at the time). Beyond doubt, CS is one of the most addictive FPS’s that has ever been released. Its level design and balanced gameplay are top notch and it can’t be forgotten that this game led to the formation of competitive gaming. A classic.

WORLD OF WARCRAFT – Blizzard 2004

Reluctantly, the game deserves a mention. Blizzard had successfully created an MMO that could be played by the hardcore MMOer or an entire family thanks to its simplicity and cheeky artwork. Track of time was immediately lost while playing and when it came to quitting, gamers found themselves in rehabilitation for a number of weeks. That, or they’re still logged in grinding for honour in Arathi Basin.

CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE – Infinity Ward 2007

Modern Warfare revolutionised first person shooters with Infinity’s 2007 release. The title arguably showed Counter Strike: Source how multiplayer should be done and came with the added bonus of an incredible single player story line. Who can forget Capt Price. sliding Soap that M1911 across the bridge and the slow mo bullets to the face of Zakhaev?

FIFA 09 – EA 2009

I assured myself a number of years back these words would never leave my mouth, but here goes; FIFA is better than Pro. This was proved in their 2009 release which helped many others realise the truth and show that EA were beating Konami at the beautiful game, on and off the field.

BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM- Rocksteady Studios 2009

Licence + Videogame = Fail?  You’d be forgiven for making this assumption but Rocksteady took their time over this title and pulled out all the stops. Batman was finally given the adult treatment he deserved and the groundwork for an excellent franchise was set. Roll on Arkham 2!

Chris Finch (phonicx)

DEUX EX – ION Storm 2000

This game got me in to cyberpunk and for that I am eternally grateful. With so many things that were years ahead of its time this beauty held me entranced in its silky grip from beginning to end and has resided deep within my memory and consciousness ever since. Tracer Tong FTW.

HALF LIFE 2 - Valve 2004

The original Half Life was released in 1998 so I can’t put that, that’s why I’m choosing Half Life 2. It’s part of one of my favourite game series and I can clearly remember playing for the first time and being completely stunned as to how gorgeous it looked and how incredibly it played. Remember the buggy? Or the first time you met Alyx?

UNCHARTED 2 – SCE 2009

Never has a game gripped me so relentlessly with its single player campaign. I was glued to the controller from beginning to end of the blockbuster movie thrill ride and loved it so much I pushed all the way through for the platinum trophy. “You will not defeat ME!”

SUPER SMASH BROS. MELEE – Nintendo 2002

If this was a list of “most hours spent playing any game” this one would be at the top. I spent countless nights with roommates smash attacking into the night and loved every minute of it. The Wii version is great and a possibly better that Melee, but this version holds a special place in my heart.

METAL GEAR SOLID 4 - Konami 2008

I’m a fan of the metal gear solid series despite the cutscenes due to the great gameplay, interesting plots and imaginative ideas of Kojima. MGS4 is the best of the series in my opinion and I had the most fun playing it, so it gets my last spot. “SnaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!!!!”

Charlie Gibbs (trix)

I had to wrestle hard with these. There have been some really great games over the last few years that I would have loved to put in this list (Oblivion, Metal Gear Solid 2 & 4, Fallout 3, Uncharted 1 & 2, Bioshock, Grand Theft Auto IV), and I know my games are only from the first half of the last decade, but in my opinion it really was a magic five years in the gaming industry.

DIABLO 2 – Blizzard 2000

‘Well met, noble Paladin. It’s been a while since I’ve seen any of your kind in the west’. Blizzard’s hack and slash masterpiece returned in 2000 to kick some serious Prime Evil ass. Yes the gameplay isn’t the most intuitive in the world but that’s its style. The dark-fantasy lands of sanctuary draw you in such a way that you really do start to care about your character that doesn’t even have a name. Let’s also be honest, the art direction is fantastic, perhaps at the time some of the best ever seen in a game. And as we’ve come to expect with Blizzard, the cutscenes were also out of this world.

DEUS EX – ION Storm 2000

The best game ever, period. A cyber-punk themed word of genius – one of the first games to successfully blend first person shooter with RPG elements. The story is epic, the world is immersive, and you can bionically augment yourself till your heart’s content. Just thinking about this game makes me want to play it again, you know I may just do that… and post a review, how’s bout it?

THIEF 2: THE METAL AGE – Looking Glass Studios 2000

Ahhh Garrett, when will your roof topping antics ever be topped… (perhaps with the recently unveiled Thief 4? – I hope so). Gritty and realistic graphics, a dark and engaging story, multiple ways to do the missions, a melee combat system that has rarely been topped over the past ten years, and a sense that you really were a truly masterful thief. There hasn’t been a game quite like this one for a long time.

MAFIA: CITY OF LOST HEAVEN – Gathering 2002

When I first saw Mafia on the shelf in Game I thought to myself, ‘it’s going to be about the film, and it’s going to be shit’, oh how wrong I was. Another extremely immersive game with an excellent story, the screenplay for this title was apparently 400 pages. Remember that this game had to follow Grand Theft Auto III that had just come out a few months earlier – and oh how it did in style. The driving mechanics, although now dated, were perfect. The city felt grand, the cops would even book you for running a red light or speeding such was the realism. 10 out of 10.

HALF LIFE 2 – Valve 2004

I don’t really need to say much about Half-Life 2. It pushed the boundaries beyond the level that was already set in 1998 by Half-Life. Its just a shame that the MODS for source never turned out to be quite as good as the originals (apart from L4D).

Ben Brown (abdo)

ICO – SCEE 2002

The only game of which I have bought a second copy.  It’s still sealed, completely pristine and I will never open it for fear of spoiling what I fondly remember as a most enchanting experience.  Ico is like that – you want to keep it safe, to protect that deliciously crisp atmosphere from so much as the tiniest blemish.

METAL GEAR SOLID 2 – Konami 2002

Oh Hideo.  Hideo, Hideo, Hideo.  Hideo, Hideo, Hideo, Hideo, Hideo.  HHHHHHHideo, your game is bre-aKInG ###–+_+.  Fourth wall violation of the highest, most satisfying, order.

FINAL FANTASY 10 – Square Enix 2002

Have to admit, I really didn’t want it to end.  Somehow a slightly tedious premise turns into a tearful love story.  The only shame is that the branching point to decide which ending you see is entirely bound up in a single, arbitrary looking scene.  The kind of one-off event that could easily be missed should you quite reasonably leave Yuna standing idly by herself whilst you go to the toilet.  Thanks for making it obvious, Square, cheers.

HALF LIFE 2 – Valve 2004

For no other reason than to prove that I didn’t just borrow someone’s PS2 for a month in 2002.  I jest of course.  HL2 must have a very good claim at being the most immersive game of all time.  If you want to feel like you, yourself, are actually the unwitting broker of the intergalactic deal of the millennium, allow Gordon Freeman’s sturdy glasses to frame your screen.

PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 4 – Konami 2004

There have been only a few truly great football games and Konami has made at least two of them.  In the last decade, the obvious stand out version for me is PES 4.  The pace, the animations, the A.I., all were superb.  Hopefully they will get it similarly right with this generation of consoles sooner rather than later.

Ben Hudson (frayed)

THIEF 2: THE METAL AGE – Looking Glass Studios 2000

Building on the excellent Thief: The Dark Project (1998), The Metal Age expanded on the ‘complex AI’ and ‘emergent gameplay’ of the original to allow players to inhabit the role of Garret, master thief, exploring one of the best realised, darkly atmospheric, game worlds ever created.  One of the first games that really allowed players to approach missions in a freeform manner, by stealth, by arrow, or by sword.  Copied by many, bettered by none.  Taffers.

DEUS EX – ION Storm 2000

Quite simply the best Action RPG ever made.  The sheer scope and depth of this game still astounds me.  It’s one of the few games, other than the Thief series, that went the distance when it came to level design and character skill progression, allowing consumate exploration and an almost infinite number of play-styles.  Built with rooms that had no other purpose than you could find them.  Characters that you didn’t have to speak to.  Endings you might never experience.  A masterpiece.

HALF LIFE 2 – Valve 2004

Half-Life is probably the best FPS of all time.  But if there is a contender to the title, then Half-Life 2 is the only other choice.  Linear game design has never been so natural and un-forced. Characters have never been implemented with such finesse and focus on dramatic action.  And no game engine has ever felt so smooth and convincing.  This is the game that perfected the notion of real-time physics.  This is the game that brought us STEAM.  It’s also the only original science fiction story in modern videogaming.

BATTLEFIELD 2 – EA 2005

If you enjoy multiplayer wargames, then no other game series has done more to give players the tools and freedom they needed to have a Bloody good time and be part of a virtual battle.  Jets, helicopters, tanks, humvees – all playable, all tactical, all part of the game.  Conquest is the quintessential team-based online mode, it requires an amount of cooperation that team deathmatch does not.  Oh, and did I mention the concept of ranking up and unlocking weapons in an online FPS?  Battlefield did it first.  Forget COD4.  Please.  Forget it.

THE ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION – Bethesda Softworks 2006

Want to play an open world, action based RPG?  Oblivion is the Lord of the Rings of the gaming industry.  It’s an ambitious, beautiful, empowering experience that transports the player to a fantasy world of devastating believability and detail.  A world where NPCs live out actual lives in the towns and villages.  A world where completing the main story quest falls by the wayside in favour of simple, blissful adventure.

I don’t think I ever left Cyrodil.  Part of me will wander there until I die (or until they release a sequel).  After all, it’s so much better than real life.

You can find the new loadscreen youtube channel “loadscreen tv” here. We’re going to be using to upload and display all loadscreen.net video posts and features and its fully functional just like any other youtube channel.

I’ve posted a short welcoming video in the channel pending the arrival of new content in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned and let us know if you like what you see!