Justin Calvert Associate Editor

Now Playing: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GC), Gran Turismo 4: Prologue (PS2), Advance Wars 2 (GBA), Pro Evolution Soccer 3 (PS2) Next On My To-Play List: Ninja Gaiden (XBOX), Tales of Symphonia (GC)

Previews of Games That Don't Exist #2

Since Pub Quest is a game that exists only in my own mind, it seems reasonable to assume that the following preview is a GameSpot exclusive. Development on the game is currently zero-percent complete, and there has been absolutely no interest expressed by any of the publishers that I come into contact with on a daily basis. Being in the unique position to have spent a little time playing the game in my head, however, I am pleased to report that it's coming along nicely.

Pub Quest is essentially a collection of pub-themed games that you'll be able to play against other gamers that you meet in virtual pubs with names like The Jolly Abbot, The Red Lion, and The Pig and Whistle. Each "pub hub" will basically be a chat room-style meeting place capable of supporting up to 200 players simultaneously, and with the appearance of, you've guessed it, a fully 3D pub. Once you've created your "pub patron" avatar, you'll be free to visit any pub that isn't already at capacity.

Anybody fancy a game of dominoes?

The avatar creation system in Pub Quest will be a little different from those in more conventional online games insomuch as your avatar's appearance will, to a certain extent, be determined by the answers you give to a questionnaire about hobbies, taste in music, and so on, when you register your copy of the game. You'll be able to tinker with your avatar's physical appearance manually, of course, but the clothes and accessories that you find in your personal wardrobe will be determined by your responses to the questionnaire. If you say that you like baseball and support the San Francisco Giants, for example, there's a good chance that you'll have the option to wear a Giants shirt or cap that will only be available to players who gave those same answers. The thinking behind this innovative system is that it'll make it easier for you to identify players with similar interests, and it will also go a long way to ensure that no two players ever look the same. In addition to the personalized clothing in your wardrobe, you'll find a number of plain white tops that you can add simple messages such as, "I wanna play darts!" or "What you lookin' at?" Other communications with players will be handled in much the same way as most current MMORPGs, giving you the option to either speak aloud or to target your comments at a specific player or group.

Once you've chosen a game to play, your avatar will leave the bar area, but can still be contacted by any other patrons that are on your drinking buddies list. Games currently under consideration for inclusion in Pub Quest include darts, dominoes, chess, backgammon, checkers, battleship, pool, snooker, and two-player versions of classic arcade titles such as Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Asteroids, and Defender. Additional avatar accessories and clothing will occasionally become available to you according to which games you play or as rewards for certain achievements. Scoring a perfect 180 at darts, for example, will earn you a beer hat with "180" written on it, while winning a game of 8-ball pool, without your opponent playing a single shot, will add a stylish "8-ball" jacket to your avatar's collection.

Should've taken a break before playing chess.

Like real pubs, Pub Quest venues will offer themed events to tie in with celebrations such as Halloween and Christmas. When you visit a pub hub on these occasions, you'll have an opportunity to win commemorative items for your avatar--a fetching pair of devil horns or a Santa costume perhaps. Regular interpub challenges are also planned, in which frequent players who have earned themselves a "regular" or "local" label by spending more than 75 percent of their online time at the same pub, can compete with players from other pubs that they might otherwise never have had the opportunity to meet.

Perhaps the most intriguing feature of Pub Quest, although its inclusion is very much under consideration right now, will be the "intoxication simulator" that kicks in after you've been logged into the game for three hours straight. In an effort to ensure that players take occasional breaks away from their PC screen and don't forget to lead their real lives, the intoxication simulator will slowly but surely render the game unplayable by re-creating the effects of being drunk until a logged-out break of at least 10 minutes is taken. Intoxication simulator effects will include double vision, blurred vision, fluctuating sound levels, reversed game controls, and the random deactivation of certain letters on your keyboard when you try to communicate with other players. The intoxication effects won't kick in when you're in the middle of a game, of course, but once you return to the bar area you'd be well advised to take a break before your next gaming session.

You never know who you'll meet at your local pub hub.

Unsurprisingly, Pub Quest is primarily being targeted at an adult audience, although child-friendly pub hubs are definitely being considered. The child-friendly hubs, if they make it into the final game, will incorporate language filters and, in place of the intoxication simulator, will likely include a "naptime" or "bedtime" reminder that gradually blurs and darkens the screen.

Like Paparazzi: Celebrity Shooter before it, Pub Quest is not currently in development for any platforms and has a tentative release date of never. We'll bring you more information on the game as soon as it becomes available.