We've travelled into the distant past of yesterday to discover the news that after the success - 1.6 million downloads for the first three episodes, apparently - of the first series of Doctor Who games, they'll be doing it all again. Once again, it'll be by the BBC Wales TV team (including Moffat, et al) and Sheffield's Sumo Digital. Matt Smith and my squiffy namesake return, but there's "additional members of the Doctor Who cast". It's also said that they'll be "an integral part of the Eleventh Doctor's second series." Whether that means any more than just being "canon" remains to be seen. Brits can still download the first three episodes here, with the fourth and final of series one coming out later in the year. More information when we have it, but no sign that they consider the first games' formula anything other than a roaring success, which will be a disappointment to the games' critics like our very own Alec Meer.
]]>It's time for another chance for all the female-fancying members of the audience to be disturbed by fancying a lady with a very similar name to mine. The third of the four Doctor Who adventure games is now available to download. You can get it from here, on the Internet. The USP of this one is that you actually get to control the Tardis. Those who played the first two are beginning to suspect that'll mean a minigame or a stealth-sequence where you somehow sneak the Tardis past a temporal anomaly, but you never know.
]]>Crikey. How novel. News not from Gamescom. The third of the four Doctor Who Adventure games had the first detailed leaked. It's called Tardis and - clearly not wanting to lead people astray with its title - features the Tardis prominently, allowing you to totally fly the now-anachronistic police-call-box through the time-stream. It also will allow you to step into the Doctor's Drawing room, which the developers talked about extensively when I covered the game on release, and basically promises to be a Batman-style collection of objects, but done in the Sherlock Holmes style. Basically. Full press release below, because it's all that's been released so far and including it with the story really annoys someone who's quite fun to bait.
]]>Since I'm behind on Who, I've avoided playing it yet - I fear it may include spoilers for the final part - but if you're up to date or just don't care, the second of the Who adventure games is now available to download and play. You can get it from here, assuming that you're in Britain. If you're not - er - you'll have to wait. And if you're on a mac, you'll have to wait too. Its version isn't out until Wednesday, apparently. Anyone played this? Better/Worse than the first part? Oh - and here's the trailer.
]]>A quick one this. The second of the four Doctor Who episodes debuts on Saturday, immediately after the series finale. It involves Cybermen. Perhaps also their blood. I'm reaching here. Let writer Phil Ford explain: ""Blood of the Cybermen is classic 'Who... From the intriguing title, through the pre-credits intro to the mystery surrounding the Arctic base, this is everything you expect from a TV episode - only this time you control the action. It's an epic story, and one we could only tell in a computer game. We've ambitious sets, a thrill-a-minute narrative, and we re-introduce a Doctor Who adversary not seen since the Tom Baker era." IS IT A BIG SCARF? Like the first, it'll be available for free online, from the Who site. They claim the first episode had 525,000 downloads in the first twelve days. Which is impressive, but strikes me as lower than you may expect. Screenshots of Amy dressed impractically follow...
]]>That Doctor Who game: a fantastic promise but ultimately an unhappy time. All that exciting adventuring we saw in the trailers and in the interviews, only to be realised as repetitive and frustrating minigames, clearly made for a gamepad. I don't wish to twist the knife unduly – it is, after all, a free game, a very welcome bonus for UK TV license-payers, and one of painfully few attempts at sending the Doctor to the one universe he's never really sussed out. Even a poor meal is something to be grateful for when someone cooks it as a favour.
So I come here not to bury Dr Caesar, but to praise what he could be. Any future Doctor Who game has to keep only one thing in mind to be on the right track from the off.
]]>Update - all done!
I'll fix this into a nice and tidy post later, but for now keep refreshing to see my thoughts on City of the Daleks as I play. I make no apology for typos, gibberish or nerdery....
]]>Super quick link 'em up post, as I'll hopefully be bunging up some impressions a bit later tonight. BUT the first episode of the free Doctor Who Adventures, City of The Daleks, has mysteriously turned up for download already, despite officially not due until Saturday. UK only for now, however.
]]>A strange new trailer for the first Doctor Who game, City Of The Daleks, has appeared. Making a schrworghur schrworghur noise. (I'm fairly sure that's how you spell the TARDIS sound.) It features a Dalek invasion of Sheffield, and an appearance from lovely Uncle Charles Cecil. And here and there there's even mention of the game.
]]>Following on from Yesterday's announcement, PC Gamer have published a mass of quotes that I didn't have room to fit in my feature (Which is available in their current mag). Firstly, there's a bunch from Simon Nelson, Multi-Platform Controller at the BBC, mainly talking about why the BBC is doing this. Clearly, worth reading for those wondering about the thinking behind it. The Second Article is cut from two conversations. One is chatting to Steven Moffat and Piers Wenger of Who fame on pretty much everything, including having Dr Who Doom Mods. The other is to Charles Cecil, Sumo and BBC Wales' Senior Producer Mat Fidell. Lots inside each piece, but I'll pull out some fun quotes beneath the cut...
]]>As announced on the cover of the super soar-away Sun, the BBC are to release four Doctor Who adventure games. Online. For free. PC Gamer tease their feature on it here and Develop tease theirs here. The PC Gamer one's mine - the "one last gig" that I mentioned in my twitter a while back - which is in their new issue. If PCG stick it online, I'll be sure to link to it. Short details: 4 episodic, in-series-canon short action/adventure games produced by Sumo Digital, exec produced by Steven Moffat, with Who writers scripting, Matt Smith and Karen Gillan voice/body-acting and guided by the hands of uncle Charles Cecil. For free. Exciting stuff, both on the game, cultural improtance and business model sides. Full press-release follows...
EDIT: PC Gamer put up some quotes from Sumo's Sean Millar, Uncle Charles and a big one from writer Phil Ford. As well as the article, I handed in a mass of transcription which I believe they're going to be leaking onto the blog slowly.
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