Populous Moves Into Beta

Bullfrog Productions producer Stuart Whyte came by the GameSpot offices Tuesday morning to show off the latest build of Populous: The Beginning.

Although the game comes with 3D acceleration through Direct3D, the latest Populous has one of the best software engines we've ever seen. While running on a Voodoo2 card, valleys and hills looked great, and the software engine gives the terrain an almost photorealistic feel - as if you were looking down at Earth from a satellite. On a side note: The graphics in the beta we were shown were better than those in the demo.

Since the release of the demo, Bullfrog and Electronic Arts have been watching what people have said about the look and feel of the game. Most of the feedback about the title has been positive but some of the more hardcore gamers have reacted a tad negatively about certain aspects of the game. While Whyte has been listening to the comments from gamers, he believes that Populous: The Beginning will entertain those who haven't played previous Populous titles as well as those who have played Populous and are looking for a more intense game.

The game is set for release in late November, so stay tuned for an in-depth preview from GameSpot before it hits retailers' shelves.