The coolest video on Monday at the E3 games conference — one of the video game industry’s biggest gatherings — was this cinematic video of Star Wars: The Old Republic.
The Old Republic is a massively multiplayer online game that is being built by BioWare and LucasArts.
Shown at the Electronic Arts press conference, the video isn’t a game itself. It’s a preview meant to get people excited about playing the game, which is set in the days when the Jedi ruled and the forces of the Dark Side of the Force were emerging. (Unfortunate: My video of it below is a little grainy since I was shooting it from the audience of the event. But take my word for it, it was good.)
It’s an example of visual storytelling with furious action. The computer-generated rendering of the human faces is almost true to life, action shots are great. I’ve always had a mixed opinion about these pre-rendered videos. Spliced between levels of interactive play, they’re often better looking than the games and they break up the game action with film-like sequences. Sometimes they’re nice for a reward, but they can also get in the way. The game isn’t going to look this good by any means, since it’s an MMO that will have to make some sacrifices to ensure fast online game play. But this video is a great marketing vehicle to get fans excited about what’s coming. It reminds me that there’s an art to creating film-like cut scenes. Take a look.
The Old Republic video at E3 2009 from Dean Takahashi on Vimeo.