Continuing its leading position as a cutting-edge
developer of online games and technologies, VR-1 will demonstrate its
exciting 1999 line-up at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), May 13-15 at
the Los Angeles Convention Center (booth #2658, West Hall). At the show, VR?1
will showcase six titles including Microsoft Fighter Ace II, Pepelaz
(working title) and three games slated for distribution on America Online's
Games Channel: Nomads of Klanth, VR-1 Crossroads and The S.A.R.A.C. Project.
In addition to its roster of "massively multiplayer" online games, VR-1 will
showcase its first CD-ROM title, Hired Guns (developed for Psygnosis), which
the company gained through its acquisition of Devil's Thumb Entertainment in
February. VR?1's senior vice president of content and Devil's Thumb founder,
Tony Harman, will also be at the show to discuss the company's entry into the
online console gaming industry and its future plans.
VR-1 executives will also be speaking on two panel discussions at E3. Mark
Vange, VR-1's chief technology officer, will participate in the "Sound
Strategies" panel (Wednesday, May 13, 11:45 - 1:15), discussing innovative uses
of sound in computer and videogames. Tony Harman will speak on a panel entitled
"New Platforms: If You Build It Will They Really Come?" (Wednesday, May 13, 4:00
- 5:30), which focuses on the emergence of online-enabled console gaming systems.
VR-1's 1999 line-up includes:
Fighter Ace II (MSN Gaming Zone) - Fighter Ace II puts you in the midst of
a battle for airborne supremacy in the cockpit of one of 25 World War II vintage
fighters and bombers. Fighter Ace II enables over 200 virtual pilots to fight
within a single air combat arena. Working with wingmen, players attempt to
defend their territory, secure new strategic positions, and down "bogies" in an
ongoing war between British, German, United States, Russian, and Japanese
forces. Fighter Ace's new graphics engine supports 3D acceleration, allowing
for new special effects such as smoke, haze and dynamic lighting, as well as
realistic recreations of the European and Pacific Theaters of operation.
Hired Guns (Psygnosis) - Hired Guns is a futuristic, first-person 3D
shooter set in a slick, neon-washed cyberpunk world. The title combines all-out
first person shooter action with tense strategic gameplay. Hired Guns'
quad-screen view enables players to simultaneously command and view a
four-character squad of ruthless mercenaries. Team play is key as each player
faces a relentless onslaught of action while leading three other mercs to
victory. Hired Guns features the Unreal engine and supports cooperative
multiplayer play via a LAN.
Pepelaz - After a cataclysmic war, the Earth is a nuclear wasteland
populated only by those not wealthy enough to escape to the colonies. After
many years, the rich elite have finally returned to Earth with a proposition to
the survivors - fight each other for our amusement and win your freedom, or die
in solitude. This 3D, first-person, massively multiplayer game puts players in
the cockpit of a sophisticated starfighter in a gladiatorial duel against other
players or teams. Each victory earns the player or team credits with which they
can upgrade their ships or wager against the outcomes of other matches. Either
way, the only means of survival is to win.
Nomads of Klanth - Among the desolate dunes of the planet Klanth, Elves,
Dwarves, Humans and the Undead battle each other for control of the planet's
dwindling supply of the magical Witchstone crystals. Nomads of Klanth is a
massively multiplayer fantasy tank combat game where players command large,
heavily armed and armored vehicles to conquer enemy cities and expand their
race's territory. Each race has a variety of unique weapons and spells to
target their enemies' weaknesses. The game is further enhanced by a fantasy
setting and the player's ability to simultaneously attack in four directions.
VR-1 Crossroads - A dual-world, audio-enhanced, text-based role-playing
game, VR-1 Crossroads is the first online game to use Microsoft's DirectMusic to
immerse players into its environment. In the game, players join one of many
"factions" and gain power, influence and information as they explore the world
around them. Each character has its own special goals, abilities, allies and
enemies based on the chosen faction. The game begins in a city - a sinister
domain filled with conspiracies, intrigue and political ambition. However, when
the characters "sleep," they enter a surreal, shared "dreamworld" of fantasy and
adventure. Through an innovative character generation system, players can
easily create characters with distinct personalities, perceptions and abilities
so that little in the game appears the same to different characters.
The S.A.R.A.C. Project - Set on a distant oceanic moon, The S.A.R.A.C.
Project is a massively multiplayer, real-time 3D game of futuristic submarine
exploration and combat. Players take on the role of S.A.R.A.C. (Sub Aquatic
Reconnaissance & Acquisition Craft) pilots struggling to succeed as mercenary
traders within a hostile aquatic environment. Working for one of four
corporations, players must collect and sell resources to maintain and upgrade
their craft, while defending their city and its refineries from other scavenging
players and natural predators. Inter-city rivalries, alien sea creatures,
fluctuating commodity markets and underwater piracy are all part of the game,
each offering its own rewards and perils.
For more details on these products and more, visit VR-1 Inc.
