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There is a longer more detailed video at http://www.pqhp.com/cmp/gdctv/ . scroll about 4/5 down on the page. The video is just over an hour long; I'm not sure if it shows more gameplay or not.

Molyneux showed B&W2, The Movies, and The Room during this presentation.

I agree that it would not make a very compelling game, but it would certainly be an interesting toy.

That's the partial video, the full video is here, free registration - which does not require you to validate your email address so any garbage works - is required.

--Ryvar

And here is the full hour long video.

You have to scroll down a bit. Just do a search on 'Wright' (bugmenot has the registration email)

I guess you know nothing about the "Spore" game (check at http://www.pqhp.com/cmp/gdctv/). A friend of mine sent me the link, and the game seem nothing less than amazing.

You can find a video of this presentation at the GDC Sessions Gallery. I think a free registration is required, but it's worth watching. Spore doesn't seem to be so much about AI as it is player-created content and insane compression algorithms.

Black and White creator Will Wright has been working on a game named Spore. I think it's going to be pretty interesting and definitly very original. You'll find a video of him demo'ing it at the 2005 GDC here.

*pokes*. I'm not trying to start a flamewar here. These are just my observations and how they relate to the parent's question.

Most console(Xbox/PS/etc) carry mostly instant-fun (almost arcade-like) games. Most of those games have a short *wow!* effect. You usually play those games for a couple or days or even hours before doing anything else. Of course there are some exceptions, but, it's what most people generally expect from a console; that you can sit down and just have fun for an hour or so, sometimes with your friends.

PC-games are more of the long-lasting kind of fun. The fun is spread out over a couple of weeks, sometimes even months. Cities need to grow, characters need to be leveled, progress needs to be made.

At least, that's how it used to be (think of all those old PC games you played for ages!).

Something has changed.. Gameplay has become less important, and Graphics and all those other 'goodies' such as real-time physics simulation have become more and more important, why? Who knows! It probably sells better in the first few months.
Also, more and more and more games are being developed in a "multi-platform" way; ie, they make the same game for PC/Xbox/PS2. So what? That's only good! More joy for everyone! Well, is it? Take a look at the game Deus Ex , that's one excellent game. Now, its successor, Deus Ex: Invisible War was a multi-platform game and it all went wrong. Why? Because while Deus-Ex was a typical long-term-fun PC-Game, the sequel was a typical instant-fun short-term game; that's what its design elements reflected. Now, this is an extreme case, but I believe that more and more games are becoming the 'instant-fun short-term' kind of games for various reasons; multi-platform, better sales, more focus on graphics.

It's a shame really, but there's still hope. I'm pretty sure that this is just the zeitgeist of gaming, and it probably acts a bit like a sinus-wave, y'know? In a couple of years there might be more long-term fun-games than the instant-fun ones, it'll reach the top and then it makes way for short-term instant-fun arcade-like games, once again.

One studio that holds my interests in particularly is Lionhead Studios . Black & White II seems like a typical PC-game, and hopefully its not as bug-riddled as its predecessor. Also, they also seem to try and change the definitions of gaming, or at least experiment in its boundaries, take a look at The Room (Scroll down to "Gameplay Moves Forward into the 21st Century" and click the Register button, register or fill in any dummy info and watch the video, skip through to the "The Room" part).

So there's hope, but right now, I'd say yes; old games are definatly more satisfying. But right now, you got to know where to look and what to look for. May I recommend Psychonauts? An excellent multi-platform adventure game for all ages?