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Eternal Darkness is setting it's self up to be one of the most unique games of the year. Dubbed a Psycological Thriller by both Nintendo and Silicon Knights, innovative features such as the insanity meter set this game up to be not only frighting in a way never as deeply tested before and fun at the same time. Since a majority of the staff is psyched for this game we decided to bring together all that is known about the game and throw it together in one very convienient package. If you already know this game this will most likely make your cravings for the game stronger, if you know nothing take your time and read it through you will find that this game hidden within the depths of Nintendo is sure to become a masterpiece. Background on Silicon Knights and Eternal Darkness: Silicon Knights is a developer straight out of Canada. Their most successful game to date is the game Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain for the Playstation. Soon after Nintendo snatched them as a 2nd party developer based on what they did with Eternal Darkness for the N64 in 1999. Since the game has emerged in 1999 it has craved by many gamers and is still being anticipated 3 years later after many many delays and a transfer to Nintendo's newest console the Nintendo GameCube. Denis Dyack talking about Silicon Knights: ( Source http://www.nintendo.com/games/gamepage/developerinfo.jsp?gameId=608 ) "We have a Shakespearean philosophy when it comes to creating games." Just as the Bard mixed "dirty jokes for the people inebriated in the front rows" with "cerebral metaphors for the aristocracy in the balconies," so Silicon Knights wants "to create the perfect aesthetic experience and engage and immerse people to the point where they forget about everything." "'People are playing more games than watching movies or TV ... we have to bring it to a level where not just the hardcore players want to play but just anyone will want to pick up a stick and say, 'I want to play this game!'"
The Story: (Source: http://www.siliconknights.com/current/intro.htm )
An Ancient Evil The innocent human race, safe in its blind superiority is oblivious to the danger it walks amongst. The Ancients want to reclaim the Earth as their own, and have taken great pains to ensure their reign in the dawn of the new millennium. Secret Societies, hungry for power and domination, mad with their obsession, seek to restore the Ancients to their former mastery. Over the aeons the sects have been active, scheming and plotting in the darkness, worshipping entities and attempting to summon them, through arcane magicks, blood and sacrifice. Of these groups, few stories are told. Those who know too much perish swiftly, hunted and murdered to preserve the secrets. Beyond mankind's limited comprehension. An incomprehensible war, hidden by secrets and plagued by death. Innocents, who will be tainted. Hunted, murdered, martyred... A Legacy of Darkness From beneath the secrets of time and space, the story of the Eternal Darkness unfolds, echoed through twelve chosen souls. Twelve people, their fates inextricably entwined with the destiny of the human race, fight an incomprehensible war against the malignant regime of the Ancients. From a benevolent monk during the paranoia of the Inquisition, to a Special Forces commando deep behind enemy lines, the Chosen Few find their lives torn apart by the unseen evil, and are forced to confront their fears without reward or glory. Their sacrifice will be extreme - such is the cost of saving humanity. The human mind is a fragile thing at best and confronting the numbing power of the Ancients is no small feat. These poor souls will find the very concept of reality challenged, even fractured in the yawning maw of insanity. Some will fail, while others will brave the grim dangers of their shattered minds, experiencing effects that transcend that which is real, and that which is pure abhorrent delusion. Yet not all hope is lost. The tools at their disposal are both ancient and modern - from sophisticated technology like laser sighted automatic rifles, to the mystical powers of arcane magick. After all, not all the servants of the Ancients are immune to the edge of a sharp blade.... The enemy are aware of the resistance of mankind, and have infiltrated every level of its society. The lurking abominations of the Ancients hide behind trusted faces, wearing their skins like puppets, manipulating and controlling the fate of humanity. The hunt has been endured for centuries, and is drawing to a close... Other known facts Involving the story: The Gameplay:
The Controls: In Eternal Darkness each character has several differant weapons and plenty of ammo he can use to fight monsters. Unlike the Resident Evil series ammo conservation is not a focus of the game. If such a time comes when you do not have sufficient ammo there will be alternative weapons. More actions have been added for fights than what was in the Cube Clubs for addeded manuverablility. Characters will tire if they use the same attack too long or they run for a long period of time. Their strength can be rejuvenated by resting for a bit. The camara moves so that when an enemy is in the room the camara will follow closely so it is right in the action. When there are no enemies the camara takes a more movie like view, for example it goes through the rafters for a more cinematic look. At a point in the game the player will come into a room called the Doomsday Decision Room. In this room the player is forced to choose between 3 artifacts each with signifigance to the ancients. This choice will effect the game in many ways including clothes, insanity effects, spells, enemies and more. The insanity meter is a very innovative feature for this game. If a player sees too many monsters and doesn't fight their insanity meter will start to drop. If they don't start to reclaim their sanity by fighting back insanity will start to set in by either subtle or slightly noticable effects. Subtle effects include your body falling apart piece by piece and ones that are not as notcible are pictures becoming differant, furnature rearranged, ect. . . Along with an amazing insnaity system the game features an exciting magic system where the player can mix and match spells to come up with 120 differant combonations of spells. Magic can enhance weapons and more but unfortunatly the magic system is one feature that is shrowded deep in secrecy. The Graphics: Each main character is comprised of near 5500 polygons, which is more polygons than most levels in the N64 version. Each piece of paper and book have been designed so that it is even possible to read. On a side note the GameCube version loads much faster than the N64 version. In fact a 1/8th of a second delay was put in to make the game less confusing. Each character has their own unique levels to go through with differant puzzles, settings each amazingly done. The pictures are one thing that should be seen on their own for their best effect. Go to the Eternal Darkness preview to see all of the differant pictures we have to show you. Characters: There are 13 playable characters, while only 12 appear in many differant sources one is deemed to be a secret character. It has also been revealed that at least one of the characters will change from the "good side" and become more evil in nature. Pious does this but it is unknown if any others do. Known Characters: Speculated Characters: Each character has their own strengths and weaknesses. For example Pious will be strong physically but weaker than other characters mentally and with magic. Secrets, Suprises and Spoilers:
Other Things: Memory Card: Though no specifics are known it is not going to take up a lot of memory card space. Remaining Space on Disk: Denis has said many times Eternal Darkness will not be on two disks and very very little space will be left on the actual disk. Replay Value: Denis Dyack has said "The reply value in ED we believe is very high but unfortunately not enough to play forever." Multiple endings have been confirmed. One special ending occurs once you go through Eternal Darkness taking all three paths. Languages: This game sports latin along with english throughout the story. Though Turkish was considered it was removed for simplicity. A sample of the sound in the game can be heard at Silicon Knights page. www.siliconknights.com The Delay: Dennis comments: "The reasons for the delay were to make the game better. I am not sure what you have heard or read but reasons fore the delay had nothing to with graphics - although we are constantly trying to make them better. The bottom line is we are making the game the best it can be and it will not be released until we feel it is ready." Playtime: The average gamers should have 40-60 hours of gameplay time. -PCM
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