VGHF Collection: The Darkening Days Ahead

This is the third in a series of updates that will highlight five fascinating items from our first search through the Video Game History Foundation's new Digital Library. We're sure there are countless treasures to uncover, so be sure to dive into their collection and post what you discover to the forums!

Another welcome addition with the VGHF Digital Library is access to the full run of vintage US PC Gamer magazines which have been surprisingly difficult to preserve online in the past. And to show that off, what better than the September 1995 issue (Vol. 2, No. 9) which features a full page preview for "The Darkening". This article was one of a collection that came about after Electronic Arts junketed the Privateer 2 film shoot well before the game was part of the Wing Commander universe or even named Privateer (as the article's title hilariously incorrectly predicts). It also features a couple of rarely seen shots of the game's sets… these early, early previews are a great way to learn about what was once imagined for the game.

Move Over, Wing Commanders!

Origin begins production of new interactive movie

With sales of the interactive-movie extravaganza Wing Commander III topping the software charts across the globe, and production underway for Wing Commander IV, the folks at Origin Systems aren't about to give up on the interactive-movie thing anytime soon. In fact, they're preparing to launch another assault on the interactive warpath, with a project currently being developed in England.

The Darkening is being produced by 25-year-old Erin Roberts (yes, he's the brother of Wing Commander creator Chris Roberts), and it promises an even stronger mix of first-person flying action and movie-style story sequences than WCIII - with a few new twists of its own.

Set in an entirely new game universe, The Darkening boasts an impressive live-action cast, including Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter, Pulp Fiction), John Hurt (Alien, The Elephant Man), Jurgen Prochnow (Das Boot, Body of Evidence), and David Warner (Star Trek VI). Filling out the cast are Clive Owen, Amanda Pays, Brian Blessed, David McCallum and Mathilda May.

The Darkening tells the story of Lev Arris, who awakens from cryogenic sleep with a case of amnesia and a handful of shady characters out to kill him. Taking control of Arris, the player will interact with 50 characters and fly any of 16 different ships between eight fully-realized planets.

Roberts has designed a darkly complex new setting from the ground up. Open-ended gameplay lets you choose your own path through The Darkening's story: you can take flight as a mild-mannered trader (with the aid of wingmen to fight off enemies, of course); merely fly around and blast people in your way; or play private detective using e-mail, public records, and word-of-mouth to work your way to the game's surprise ending.

"The technology we're using makes Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger look like a dinosaur," said Roberts, whose $5 million budget is one of the largest ever for a computer game (Wing Commander IV is rumored to be close to $7 or $8 million).

To be specific, the game's two and a half hours of movie sequences are being shot on 16mm film, which will be translated to CD-ROM via Digital Beta, a new format that Roberts says is far superior to the Beta SP format used for Wing III. The Darkening will also use a stripped-down SVGA graphics engine, more compact and faster than the one used in Wing Commander III.

The Darkening began filming in May under the direction of Steve Hilliker of London's Nelson Films. The footage is being shot at England's Pinewood Studios, home to the James Bond films. The game is scheduled for release early next year.

CAPTIONS

John Hurt makes his multimedia debut in The Darkening as Joe the Bartender. Let's hope he doesn't have to relive that stomach-bursting scene from Alien.

Production for Origin's newest interactive adventure/sim, The Darkening, is being done at Pinewood Studios, the same studio that brought us many of the James Bond films.

The cinematic style of storytelling that was used in Wing Commander III takes a strange new turn in The Darkening.