Lander Hits Dirt at GDC

Psygnosis will be showing off its first DVD game, Lander, at the upcoming Game Developer's Conference in San Jose from May 15-18. Gamers with DVD ROM-equipped PCs can play the space action/adventure game when it releases at the end of March.

DVD lets Lander incorporate high-quality MPEG-2 video with Dolby Digital 5.1 music. Taking an interesting approach to the new media type, gamers can access the MPEG-2 movies and music tracks from the game without having to run the game.

"Lander is an exemplary title that shows off all the bells and whistles of the advanced technology used today in the entertainment business," said Harry Vitelli, vice president of marketing for Psygnosis US. "The highly realistic intro sequences and in-game videos tie the storyline together beautifully with seamless, futuristic gameplay. All this with motion picture-like video and audio creates an atmosphere never before encountered in a computer game. It's like experiencing a futuristic adventure in your very own digital theatre."

In case you haven't heard, Lander takes place in the year 3032 as you're crossing the galaxy in search of prosperity. After accepting a mission to explore the solar system in the name of science, you mission changes as you must find out the origins of an extraterrestrial object that was discovered on Earth. Here's where the complication comes in: Several powerful corporations also want to discover the object's origin, and so the race for discovery becomes a dangerous one. Players must prove themselves worthy as pilots as they learn to defy gravity, battle weather conditions, compensate for damage, and maneuver away from traps on several planets, using a unique thruster system.

The final version of Lander will ship with 30 missions, four crafts, and multiplayer support for up to eight players over the Internet or LAN.