Mercenaries 2

[Bad_Boy]

http://www.mercs2.com/

umm...wtf happened?
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/705/705305p1.html

I was really expecting mind blowing graphics.

edit:
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/a...aries-2-world-in-flames-20060509105154258.jpg
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/a...aries-2-world-in-flames-20060509105156024.jpg
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/a...aries-2-world-in-flames-20060509105157789.jpg
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/a...aries-2-world-in-flames-20060509105150540.jpg

 

[mckmas8808]

umm...wtf happened?
http://ps3media.ign.com/ps3/image/article/706/706897/mercenaries-2-world-in-flames-20060509105154258.jpg
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/705/705305p1.html

I was really expecting mind blowing graphics.

This is what happened.

We have two more hardware revisions, both of which give us significant performance upgrades, so this is not the final graphics hardware by any stretch of the imagination. The hardware is going to get a little more powerful, and we're also really finding ways to tap into the depth of it. It's a pretty inspiring machine. It's hard to work with -- it's a challenging machine to get the power out of, but it's in there, that's for sure."

Even though the game had some moments of slowdown, Brown mentioned that this was due to the fact that they were currently GPU bound, but they hoped to remedy that in time for the demo at the show. He also mentioned that they were currently programming without a firm strategy for the hard drive because the hardware they were currently working on didn't have those specs in place; however, he noted that the team would probably use it to help stream the environment and ensure diminished load times in the seamless world.

So which PS3 dev kit do they have?

 

[Bad_Boy]

That makes me sleep a little easier. The physics on the flash video on the main site dont look terrible imo. Maybe there is hope.

 

[mckmas8808]

Wow if the flash is anything to go by, then I think we will be okay. Proves that we will have to judge everything in motion now and not hate something based off screenshots.

 

[dodo3]

I can't see!!! Host the pics! I wanna see, thanks! :smile:

 

[TrollFace]

This is what happened.



So which PS3 dev kit do they have?

Well, he says he's GPU-bound. I would think that may be indicating that they work with either a non-final RSX, maybe even the earlier SLI-6800U GPU setup, possibly also running on PCI-E-4x or PCI-E-16x bustechnology between Cell and RSX, without the FlexIO. That would be a good explanation for being GPU bound.

Interesting stuff btw in the IGN article about SPU's and AI.

 

[Bad_Boy]

I can't see!!! Host the pics! I wanna see, thanks! :smile:

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/705/705305p1.html

 

[Titanio]

Given what Mercenaries is all about, I wouldn't pass judgement on how it looks until you see it in motion, preferably being played. It's all about the dynamics of the world, you can't really see that in a screenshot.

Anyway, co-op multiplayer =

edit - Interesting info in there about how their using the PS3 hardware, including offloading much their AI onto SPUs.

"Our world is very dynamic and open, and things change a lot -- this thing gets destroyed, these things move around, this faction changes its opinion of this other one -- there's a lot of dynamicism and what that presents is a lot of challenges for the AI," Brown mentioned. "Our AI needs to be so flexible and so able to negotiate its way through the world -- we have to have our AI be able to problem solve on the fly. So we're actually moving a lot of our AI processing onto the SPUs to enable us to do an enormous amount of data processing. The AI does a lot of probing of the world, building a mental map of how the world works, and that's something that we've designed from the ground up to fit on an SPU really well."

Also, on PS3 development:

"It's awesome. The PS3 is an amazing machine. We have two more hardware revisions, both of which give us significant performance upgrades, so this is not the final graphics hardware by any stretch of the imagination. The hardware is going to get a little more powerful, and we're also really finding ways to tap into the depth of it. It's a pretty inspiring machine. It's hard to work with -- it's a challenging machine to get the power out of, but it's in there, that's for sure."

 

[Slaaaaabs]

360 aswell, thank God!

 

[Titanio]

PR:

Mercenaries 2: World In Flames(TM)

From Pandemic Studios, the power of the PlayStation 3 from Sony is exploited in this open-world 3rd person shooter that allows players to enter a world of infinite possibilities where gamers get to be their own boss. In addition to providing the perfect blend of civilian and military worlds, where you can either turn up at an army base in a stolen Ferrari or roll down Main Street in a "borrowed" Abrams main battle tank, Mercenaries 2 empowers players to make the decisions they want, whenever and however they want. Set in Venezuela, there are absolutely no rules as to the weapons or vehicles that a Mercenary can acquire.

http://home.businesswire.com/portal...d=news_view&newsId=20060510005478&newsLang=en

Between this and the IGN article they certainly make it sound like it's only on PS3, for now at least.

 

[Titanio]

Hands-on Impressions from Gamespot:

http://uk.gamespot.com/e3/e3story.html?sid=6150343&pid=932883

can you shoot rockets into your mission contact's back? Can you shoot a grappling hook into a helicopter, climb up the rope, crack open the chopper's cockpit, throw the pilot to his death, and then claim his aircraft? Can you swim? Can you drive boats as well as tanks? Can you play cooperatively with another player? Can you jump on the turret of a tank, climb your way up, and throw a grenade down the cockpit to kill the crew, so you can take it for yourself? Can you shoot an oil tanker, watch all of the gas spill out of it, toss a lighter over your shoulder, and watch as the fuel trail lights up, detonating the whole thing in a spectacular explosion?

Yes, indeed. That about summarizes the new features showcased in the demo we got to try out, which was running on a PlayStation 3 development kit and was already looking quite good. The game uses the Havok 3.0 physics engine, which is apparently being optimized for the PS3's cell processor, so expect to see far more complex geometry and bigger environments than in the previous Mercenaries games, and, more importantly, even more destruction than ever before.

We were also curious to know whether Mercenaries 2 might take advantage of the recently revealed tilt sensor in the PlayStation 3 controller, to which the developers said that they were certainly looking into it. The tilt sensor seems like it could make piloting vehicles feel that much more different than running around on foot.

To be released in 2007 on PS3, publisher TBA.

 

[scooby_dooby]

Looks pretty damn good to me, the character models especially. Next gen MErcs is gonna be awesome! can't wait

 

[rabidrabbit]

Sounds like a very fun game.
If the gameplay is as described and done well, I don't care if the graphics are a notch or two below the best ones there.
As long as it also moves well.

 

[mckmas8808]

So looks like this game might use the gryo function to controls to vehicles and helicoptors. I hope they do use it.

 

[scooby_dooby]

So looks like this game might use the gryo function to controls to vehicles and helicoptors. I hope they do use it.

Wow you're really in love with this Gyro concept eh? Why don't you just buy a Wii?

 

[Titanio]

So looks like this game might use the gryo function to controls to vehicles and helicoptors. I hope they do use it.

They haven't talked about it at all I don't think? So there's nothing to indicate that yet. It could certainly make a lot of sense in some parts of the game, though, so we can hope for that..

scooby - maybe he will? But Mercs 2 probably won't be on Wii, unfortunately.

 

[scooby_dooby]

They haven't talked about it at all I don't think? So there's nothing to indicate that yet. It could certainly make a lot of sense in some parts of the game, though, so we can hope for that..

scooby - maybe he will? But Mercs 2 probably won't be on Wii, unfortunately.

So, has this been confirmed as a timed exclusive yet? Or what's the word on that?

 

[Titanio]

So, has this been confirmed as a timed exclusive yet? Or what's the word on that?

You can draw your own conclusions. They only seem to have it on PS3 at the moment. That seems to imply exclusivity for a period of time at least.

The reference to Wii not having it was more a reference to the type of game this is and how it probably wouldn't port well to Wii as is.

 

[scooby_dooby]

You can draw your own conclusions. They only seem to have it on PS3 at the moment. That seems to imply exclusivity for a period of time at least.

The reference to Wii not having it was more a reference to the type of game this is and how it probably wouldn't port well to Wii as is.

I was just wondering if there was anymore news on that front. Guess not.

 

[mckmas8808]

They haven't talked about it at all I don't think? So there's nothing to indicate that yet. It could certainly make a lot of sense in some parts of the game, though, so we can hope for that..

scooby - maybe he will? But Mercs 2 probably won't be on Wii, unfortunately.

Well the guy did say he was thinking about it so you never know. And no I won't be getting the Wii. Just because I like the motion sensor thingy in the PS3 controller doesn't mean I have to buy everything else that has it.