The Wheel of Time
Computer Game


Gamecenter Interview * E3 Article * 3D Gaming Review * Official Game Site

Hey, when you're at E3 with about 50 thousand people running around like maniacs and computer monitors displaying the latest games at every turn, it's hard to decide where to go next. But there were a few things on my list that I just had to check out, and one of those was Wheel of Time, the RPG/action game being developed by Legend Entertainment using the Unreal engine. The GT booth took up a pretty large amount of space, as its titles were spread out over a large part of the showroom floor. But Wheel of Time was there, taking up about 6 computers: 2 for singleplayer and 4 for deathmatch. I've been waiting to see this game in action for a long time, and I finally got a chance to experience all that it had to offer. I walked over to a developer of Wheel of Time and asked if I could play (as if he would deny it). Anyway, he was extremely helpful in explaining parts of the game to me and showing me how to get started.

The Goods
Quick Peek: Ever wanted to play a game that combined the furious action of Quake along with a dab of roleplaying? Then take a spin at Wheel of time, and make sure to suck in that eye candy too!
Release Date: Quarter 3 1999 Developer: Legend Entertainment
Publisher: GT Interactive
Homepage: Wheel of Time
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It's hard to avoid one simple fact about Wheel of Time: it's unbelievably beautiful. There aren't words to describe it. I never knew that a game would surpass Unreal in mesmerizing me, but Wheel of Time it is. It combines the power of the Unreal engine to create the large world, but it's Legend's artists and level designers which have really brought out the best in the Unreal engine. It's so much more than just placing coronas over every light source to "ooh" and "aah" you. Every texture in the game is extremely sharp and well defined giving it a realistic look. And of course, if you get close up to a wall or object, it no longer blurs itself, but instead gets sharper and more defined. And the level design is sheer genius. Large cathedrals with stained glass windows up to the ceiling tower above you as ancient carvings are etched into the ceilings. It's simply amazing to behold; you just want to sit and stare for hours. Everything looks just right… the eerie effects, the dark and gloomy dungeons, the dismal churches… they all give you a great feeling of being there.

But an FPS is supposed to be much more than just looks. So then how is the gameplay of this RPG/action game? Surprisingly, it's not much different from a game like Quake II, which is pretty unfortunate. In the cathedral level I got to play, there seemed to be only one type of enemy: guards in armor. They themselves looked great, their animation fluid, and their armor shining and glistening. But it seemed all they would do is run up to you and hack and slash, and you have to blast away with your armada of spells. So it seemed all I was doing was run kill, run kill. I'm sure the full game will have much more meaning to it, as there is a well-developed story integrated into the game. But for now, Wheel of Time seemed to be Quake II with spells. If you've ever played Hexen II by Raven, you know what I am talking about.

Speaking of spells, this is another thing that has to be seen in the game. Unreal's particle engine has been totally redone so that Legend could better create spells. And with several dozen of them, you are sure to be amazed every time you cast one. I got to try out a few, such as chain lightning and fireball. In my opinion, they seemed a little too weak, because it took more than 5 shots of a fireball to take out a guard (that's equivalent to about 5 rockets). And chain lightning took equally as long to bring down an enemy.

But with all these little problems, the game was still very addictive. The visuals, the sound, the gameplay all came together do deliver a magnificent game. I didn't get a chance to play any deathmatch, although I hear it wasn't all too bad. My only one complaint is that so far, there was no weapon model that you see held out in front of you. Of course, there are no weapons in the game (spells only, I believe), but it would be nice to see your (the spellcasters) hands out in front of you as you cast every spell. But other than these small problems (which will probably be fixed by release), Wheel of Time is sure to be a big success. And Legend has done an outstanding job.


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