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GameSpot's Ones to Watch - Editor's Choice: The Games of E3 1999

Introduction
Top 10 To Watch
Notable Games by Genre
• Action
• Adventure
• Driving Games
• Multiplayer Only
• Puzzle Games
• RPG
• Sims
• Sports
• Strategy
Notable RPGs

Diablo II
What's most striking about Diablo II is the new 3D-accelerated perspective scaling, which creates the illusion that the game is 3D. Unlike the original, in which the scenery was always seen from a static isometric perspective, in Diablo II, objects scroll by at speeds that correspond to where those objects are on-screen. Essentially, the environments in the game move much more realistically than in the first, and the effect looks great.

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All the character classes appeared complete. The barbarian didn't look quite as burly as expected, but he was pretty intimidating nonetheless. He has the ability to attack with weapons in either hand, can knock his enemies back with a battle cry, and otherwise strikes quickly and ferociously. The necromancer seems similar to Diablo's sorcerer and, among other things, can summon golems to fight on his side. The paladin is a warrior-healer, the sorceress commands powerful elemental magics, and the amazon combines good melee skills with ranged weapon proficiency.

The game's interface offers more information onscreen than the original, including an experience bar and a stamina bar. Any of the character classes can run, but must let their stamina regenerate in between long sprints. Meanwhile, the real-time shadow and fog effects, most apparent in Diablo II's dungeons, look beautiful; light bends around stone pillars and monsters lurking on the outskirts of the screen blend with the darkness. Also, many of the new accelerator-enhanced special effects, particularly for the sorceress' spells, look outstanding. Blizzard's Bill Roper replied with a resounding "Yes" when asked if the game will ship in time for Christmas this year.

Developer/Publisher: Blizzard

Planescape: Torment

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If the characters in Planescape: Torment seem a little disturbing, it's because they are. Characters who dismember themselves and their enemies to improve their armor or obtain new weapons aren't exactly run-of-the-mill, even in role-playing games. If the landscape seems a little more colorful than the characters, that's because it is. The characters, though immortal, tend to bear the greyish tinges of their many deaths, while the 16-bit color landscape pushes the Bioware Infinity engine (used in Baldur's Gate) to new limits. As in Baldur's Gate, the engine features special lighting effects for the 20-plus magical spells. Yet the biggest change in aesthetics is that the engine now accommodates huge animated structures and larger, more-detailed sprites not seen in Baldur's Gate.

You play a character who has died and been reincarnated hundreds of times. Your history, however, is a mystery, and you must unearth your past as the game progresses. Accompanying you on your journey of self-discovery will be a talking skull, robotic fantasy creatures, and possibly demons. However, evil demons and lawful angels don't mix, so expect even more friction in your Planescape party than in Baldur's Gate. The outer plane, where the game takes place, are the battlegrounds for faith and ideals.

Many of the spells in Planescape are new, and the effects engine for rendering those spells is pretty amazing. The color is bright and rich, and special effects like transparencies look good. The fact that sprites are bigger also makes the special effects stand out more.

Expect some changes interface wise as well. You can now run, and there is both a quest log and a bestiary to keep better track of your goals and NPCs. The quest log will tell you what quests are still outstanding, where to complete them, and how the contact is. The bestiary will be updated with more creature and NPC entries as you meet more people and monsters.

Developer: Black Isle Studios
Publisher: Interplay

System Shock 2

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The long-awaited sequel to 1994's acclaimed science-fiction action role-playing game follows Looking Glass' successful Thief: The Dark Project and will run on an enhanced version of Thief's 3D engine. The game will combine action and role-playing elements and promotes nonlinear character development, letting you customize your character as a weapons specialist, a psionic fighter, a hacker, and more. System Shock 2 will also include a four-player cooperative multiplayer feature.

System Shock 2 will feature the return of the evil SHODAN, the villain from the original. As one of the only survivors of a massacre onboard a spaceship, you awake with a cybernetic implant in your head, with no recollection of how the violence that surrounds you came to be (a plot which is reminiscent of Origin's Bioforge). System Shock 2 has many role-playing elements - such as the ability to choose character classes (though not of the traditional fantasy variety). Looking Glass is also promising a revolutionary interface.

Developer: Looking Glass
Publisher: Electronic Arts

Next: Notable Sims