Hardwar

Elite Has Got To Go Down In Computer game history as one of the all-time greats. Despite many attempts by publishers to rip off the old classic, it still stands head and shoulders above the competition as the best space exploration game for any computer or console. It obviously comes as no surprise then to hear that Gremlin have decided to have a go at the genre themselves with a game that has many similarities to Elite, almost to the point where it's getting too close for comfort. However, in this case at least, first impressions arc definitely deceptive. Yes the game does look pretty similar to Elite at first glance, and it's based on the same idea of exploring a known area of space in the guise of a sort of 'Lone Ranger in space' but hey, be patient, give the game half a chance and you'll soon discover it has many hidden depths as you learn to decipher your role.

I had an interesting conversation with Joe Chetcuti from Gremlin who's been working on the game for some time and challenged him to explain exactly why Hardwar shouldn't be dismissed as just another Elite clone. "The basic concept of Hardwar es similar to that in Elite, but we like to think that we've taken the idea a lot further," says Joe. "In terms of character interaction, Elite was fairly cold and clinical. This was obviously due to the limitations of the machine it was running on at the time. We've used today's superior technology to create a world which we think is much more believable It's a very real world with its own culture and society and you really feel you can identify with all the people you meet through detailed character interaction."

What's the aim of the game?

Well, that makes sense I suppose, but the one drag about Elite was the fact that there was no real aim to the game. The storyline, objective and the whole game feel lacked direction. According to Joe, Hard war addresses this problem with ease and panache: "Yes. we agree that although most people will be happy just to explore the gameworld there will be others who want an overall objective. To this end the ultimate objective of the game is to escape from Titan, the world the game is set in. The player will get hints at how to go about this as he progresses through the game. However, if the player just wants to roam around the environment completing whatever missions he comes across then he can. Just for the record I've had a preview of the game and it's gorgeous. I'd like to announce right here and now that it looks right up my street and I hereby 'bagsy' the right to review it when it comes in. Hardwar in-depth review next month.