Game xStream, an online distribution service for games similar to Valve's Steam, has announced a long-term partnership with 3D Realms to distribute their games online, beginning with Prey, the resurrected shooter recently shown at the E3.
Like Steam, Game xStream allows buyers to download games to their PC's for later activation on the official release date for the game, but a feature it has that Steam doesn't is dynamic streaming, which allows the player to buy an already released game and begin playing seconds after they buy, with no wait for the entire game to be downloaded:
"Gamers will be able to pre-order and pre-load Prey onto their hard drives, ready for instant activation and play upon the official release date," said 3D Realms CEO, Scott Miller. "Or, after the official release, players will be able to buy the game and begin playing in minutes, as if the full game was already downloaded. This is what sets Game xStream apart from anything else the industry has seen."
3D Realms Partners with Game xStream for Exclusive Online Distribution of Prey
Gamespot got a look, and in their first impressions preview, drew attention to the game's design elements:
What's really wild about the game is how it uses direction, gravity, and portals to surprise you, disorient you, and impress you. Basically, "up" and "down" is relative throughout the game; certain types of corridors allow you to run straight up onto a wall and then keep moving "forward." Portals tear through the fabric of the bizarre alien landscape you're fighting in, revealing completely different environments on the other side. You run right on through (and can even fire your weapons through) and just keep going, and you'll be suddenly surrounded by different terrain.
Some other really crazy levels featured sensors that could be shot to cause the level to literally turn upside down. You fall to the "ceiling" when this happens. As we watched the 20-minute demo, we couldn't help but wonder about all the possibilities that this type of level design could introduce. Granted, without any sense of direction to rely on, these levels might end up being just completely bewildering. After seeing the levels in action, we can say that they sure looked interesting--far more so than the typical corridor crawls you'd expect.
Prey E3 2005 First Impressions - New Screenshots
Prey on your bandwidth
3D Realms plans Steam-style online distribution for Prey
Game xStream, 3D Realms Partner For Prey Distribution
Prey.com
3DRealms.com
Game xStream feature list
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